What Boredom Can Lead To (3/?)
Title: What Boredom Can Lead To (3/?)
Pairing: Dan/Blair
Rating: PG (for this part at least)
Summary: Dan and Blair are left to their own devices for the duration of winter break. With all of their friends gone, it seems that the two frenemies will have to rely on each other for entertainment.
Spoilers: Up to 4x11
Word Count: 3,547
Blair doesn't contact Dan Humphrey for three days after the hangover/sweatpants/cinnamon roll morning. She feels embarrassed by her drunken antics, frustrated by Dan's desire to break her out of her shell or whatever, and more than anything, she's perturbed by her growing fondness toward him. She figures that a little Dan Humphrey is too much Dan Humphrey so she stays away. She tells Dorota to change his name in her cellphone to something else - something generic that she'll never notice. That way, she won't be able to call him if - God forbid - she desires to do so.
So she spends the next three days eating chocolate and watching Audrey Hepburn movies and in-store shopping and online shopping and spa-ing. And fight it as she might, her mind flutters back to Dan more often than she could ever imagine or hope for. She finds herself wondering what he's up to, if he's thought about calling her, if he hasn't called her because he's disgusted by how she acted the other night at the concert.
More than that, she wonders just when in the hell Dan Humphrey's opinion of her started meaning anything at all.
+++
Dan doesn't contact Blair Waldorf for three days after the hangover/sweatpants/cinnamon roll morning. He's mystified at the developments that have occurred over the past few days. He saw a different side of Blair at the concert, albeit that side was a drunk one, it was still Blair and it showed him something new and unexpected. Even if it did take a few drinks to make it happen, Blair Waldorf had fun. She was loud and excited and genuine and sexy and carefree. He wishes that she could be like that - only less inebriated - more often. Less meddling, less plotting and planning, more denim, more dancing and singing.
Whether or not he is consciously aware of it, Dan wants Blair to let her guard down around him. He knows that underneath all of those hair products and 700 dollar dresses and lotions that make her smell positively edible, is a fun, less-crazy, lovable girl.
The only question is, will she ever let him see that side of her for real?
+++
"Hi. I'll have a medium coffee, two -"
"Creams, two sugars. I'll have the same, please." Blair turns to see who cut her off and finished her order for her at the coffee shop.
"Humphrey," she says, taking in his appearance of a smart (but cheap) peacoat and a grey scarf, "still stalking me, I see." She steps aside as Dan hands over a five and tells the girl behind the counter to keep the change. She smiles at him flirtatiously which causes Blair to glare at the girl - Casey - for a moment before striding over to the other end of the counter.
"Believe it or not, you're not the only person that comes into this coffee shop, Blair," Dan responds, sounding irritated but bored all the same.
"All I'm saying is that I come in here all of the time and I've never seen you before. Add that to the fact that I've seen an exorbitant amount of you in the last few days and it sounds like stalking to me. Perhaps you should try the other coffee shop down the street."
Dan, at a loss, simply grabs her coffee and thrusts it into her hand before grabbing his cup and walking away without a word. Blair watches him walk away, suddenly wishing she could talk to him. She grumbles and stamps her foot before calling out "Humphrey, wait!" but he's already stepping out of the shop.
So she chases him down. "Jesus, Humphrey! Are you in a walking marathon?" she lets out a heavy breath, her lungs burning from the cold air and the half-run, half-walk she just did.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he says, glaring at her, "I was afraid that I was in violation of the restraining order you have against me."
"Could you -" she almost has to jog to keep up with him, "could you slow down? I shop in the petite section for a reason, you know."
Finally, he fully stops and turns to look at her. He seems taller to her for some reason, like he's towering over her or something. "What is it, Blair? Is there something you need?"
She's taken aback at his tone. Is he...is he angry with her? Because if so, that would imply that he was something beyond nonchalant about her. Had he been happy with her and now she'd angered him? "Don't take it so personally, Humphrey. You should be used to getting the cold shoulder from me," she says simply.
"Actually," he shuts his eyes for a moment in frustration, "Actually, I thought that we'd gotten to a point where or figurative shoulders had become at least lukewarm. Apparently, I'm completely demented for thinking I could bump into you and we could hold a regular conversation or even hang out together for a day."
Blair stares at him, taken aback by his honesty. "I...There's a French film playing at the cinema today. Do you want to join me?"
Dan shifts his eyes back to her, thinking about whether or not she should - or even wants to - accept her offer. Finally, he sighs and says, "This is certainly becoming a repertoire between us, isn't it?" He smiles and nods his head in the direction of the theater.
"Whatever you say, Humphrey. Whatever you say," Blair rolls her eyes and they set off toward their destination.
+++
The movie goes off without a hitch. They sit quietly, comfortably (for the most part) and watch a heartbreaking French love story from the 60s unfold in front of them. Their hands never graze, they don't look at each other from the corner of their eyes, and they don't speak during the film. But in the back of their minds is the fact that they are sitting in such close proximity to the other one, that at any moment Dan could lift up his left arm and put it around Blair's shoulders, that if they were the kind of people who use armrests, their arms might rest against one another's. Still, they do their best not to acknowledge these possibilities.
"Are you hungry?" Dan squints as the bright sunlight ambushes his eyes after the movie. He turns to Blair, unsure of what kind of response he's going to get. Is he acting like a stalker?
"There's a new restaurant that just opened near my house. Apparently the chef is like...Wolfgang Puck's protogé or something." Blair waves a hand in the air nonchalantly, unimpressed but still it's worthy of a note.
Dan grabs her sleeve and tugs her the other way. "I was thinking...how do you feel about Greek food?" He looks down at her, hopeful and happy.
"Let's find out, shall we?" She smiles back at him and surprising both him and herself, she links her arm through his and they set off to nourish themselves.
Neither can help thinking that to anyone else who might see them, they must look like a couple. They must look like an annoying college couple who are so distracted by their emotions that the world becomes theirs and everyone else is just living in it. Just the kind of couple that both Blair and Dan have grown to hate for reasons unknown to them.
10 minutes and a fair amount of friendly banter later, Dan halts in front of a small restaurant crammed in between a comic book store and some apartments. "Blair Waldorf, I present to you: Souvlaki's, the best Greek restaurant in all of New York!" She looks at him skeptically before stomping up the stairs and into the warm restaurant.
"This place smells amazing," Blair looks around her in wonder. Who would have thought that a place like this could exist without her ever realizing it. Based on the looks of it from the outside, she never would have gone in let alone give it a second glance. But inside, the restaurant was beautiful, with scarlet red upholstery and dark grey carpet and beautiful light accents. "It looks amazing. Do you come here a lot?" She stares at the restaurant in awe as she and Dan are lead to a small booth in the back of the restaurant.
"Vanessa and I come here a lot," he replies casually, which brings her good mood down a few notches. "So if you want any tips on what's good, I can-"
"I think that I can make an entree decision without help from you, Humphrey," she says curtly, irritated by his previous comment regarding Vanessa.
Get it together, Waldorf. Why should you care a bit about if Humphrey spends time here with another girl - especially Vanessa. Why should you be threatened by her and why should you feel threatened in regard to anything related to, Dan Humphrey? Blair does her best to remain calm, but really all she wants to do is reach over and wipe that charming smile right off his face.
"So...how's school?" Dan asks, sounding stupid (or at least Blair thinks so).
"Really?" Blair gives him a look of hatred, "are you really resorting to the topic of school, Humphrey? Perhaps I give you too much credit." She shakes her head, turning her attention to the menu in front of her.
"Sorry to be genuinely interested in your life and your studies. Next time, I'll remind myself to act rude and aloof." For some reason, this statements gets to her. 'Next time' Dan said. Like this is something that would be happening again, maybe often, maybe it would become a weekly tradition. The fact that he intends to see her again softens her a bit.
"No it's just," she starts, not sure what to say, "I thought we were past such generic topics. What do you really want to know?" She gives him a look that he could swear verges on being flirtatious and suddenly he's a little bit nervous.
"All right," he thinks carefully, taking his time and mulling over just what it is he wants to ask. "Why have you been spending so much time with me this week?"
Blair blanches. That was a question she was not anticipating. If anything, it was a question she was dreading because it was something that she herself could not answer but desperately wanted to. Then again, she was afraid that if she could formulate an answer, she wouldn't much like it.
"I could ask the same of you," is all she can think to say. Not exactly evading the question but not answering it either.
"True, but I asked first," he gives her that look again, like he's one-upped her. She just can't stand for that.
She sighs heavily, closing the menu and making direct eye contact with him. "Boredom," and as if to drive her point home, she gives him the most bored look she can muster.
"Boredom," he repeats, a bit taken aback by her response.
"Perhaps you've been to one too many concerts, your hearing is starting to go," the waitress comes for their orders and Blair orders the souvlaki with tzatziki in the same breath as her dig at him. All he can say is "I'll have the same, please," and looks back at her. "Serena's gone, Nate's gone, Chuck's gone, even Erik is spending time with his boyfriend. You're the only person I know who remotely runs in the same circle as I do and has a lot of free time. After all, Gossip Girl doesn't refer to you as Lonely Boy for nothing, right?"
God, why am I being such a bitch? Blair wonders.
"Wow, Blair," and right before her eyes, he starts putting on his coat and tying his scarf. "I know we don't know each other that well, but I thought we'd built up a certain level of trust, a certain amount of honesty. I don't know what I was thinking."
He throws down 15 dollars and stands up.
"Where are you going? I thought we were eating!" She cries, surprised and hurt (even though in this case, he's the only one who should be hurt.)
"You can have mine. Take it home to Dorota or something. Or maybe give it to your next toy," Dan starts walking away from her backward and Blair thinks about that phrase If looks could kill. "You know, I'm not Chuck Bass. I'm trying to be your friend and all you want is to fight, to be proud and maintain the upper hand. And if that's how it's gonna be...I don't need to be here."
"Well where are you going?" She raises her voice to make sure that he hears her. It makes him stop for a minute and she thinks that maybe he'll come back and sit with her. No such luck.
"Back to Brooklyn," he says, sounding both hurt and angry. "To be with my boring old self. They don't call me Lonely Boy for nothing, do they?" And with that, he's gone, leaving Blair Waldorf in a beautiful restaurant and with two orders of souvlaki. But right now, Blair doesn't really feel like eating.
+++
"Dorota!" Blair yells when she steps out of the elevator. She doesn't know whether she should be angry, sad, disappointed, or relieved. She hasn't felt this messed up since she told Chuck she loved him and he wouldn't say it back.
"You called, Miss Blair?" Dorota comes scuttling up to her in her uniform, a worried expression plastered across her face. Blair simply thrusts two styrofoam containers full of souvlaki into her open hands and continues on.
"I need you to call my masseuse and I need a eucalyptus facial," Blair commands as she walks up the stairs. "And macaroons!" She adds loudly. What is going on? In what universe does anything that Dan Humphrey does upset me or affect me in any way? Blair throws herself onto her bed face first and lets out a scream, only to have it absorbed by the many layers of many-count sheets.
"Miss Blair?" Dorota knocks timidly and gently opens the door. "Masseuse will be here in 30 minutes and facial is all ready to go." Blair nods her assent into the mattress. "Miss Blair, tell Dorota what bothers you."
"Oh Dorota," Blair rolls over and moans. "I don't know what's happening to me. I can't stop thinking about Dan Humphrey. I think that I...like spending time with him."
"But Miss Blair, you don't like Mister Dan Humphrey!" Dorota says, her eyes wide with worry and shock. Blair secretly loves it when Dorota fusses over her and acts as her confidant - something her own mother rarely does.
"I know!" Blair wails and throws herself into the mountain of pillows at the top of her bed. Dorota is right - she doesn't like Dan Humphrey. How could she? He wears flannel - a fabric reserved for hobos and lumberjacks. He reads ee cummings and enjoys talking about literature. He doesn't know the different between a Christian Lacroix and a Christian Louboutin. And he's a Humphrey for God's sake.
"Maybe you are lonesome, maybe you turn to Dan when no one else around," Dorota responds comfortingly.
Slowly, Blair pulls her face away from the pillows and sits upright on the side of her bed. "Dorota, you're right. It isn't just boredom, I'm lonely. If he's lonely and I'm lonely, why shouldn't we spend some time together. It's not like I'm changing my chemical makeup or something drastic" she stands up and smiles at the woman who knows her so well. "Dorota, cancel the massage and the facial, keep the macaroons. I don't need an excuse to eat those."
"Yes, Miss Blair," Dorota complies and offers the young woman a smile. Dorota knows better than to believe that Blair is only spending time with Dan Humphrey because she's lonely, but she wants to hear what she needs to hear in order to maintain the control she so desires in her life.
+++
Dan prays to any deity that is listening that whoever just knocked on his door is not Blair Waldorf. Anyone but Blair, he thinks. No sooner does he open the door then a flash of red bursts past him and starts talking rapidly.
"Listen Humphrey. I rarely do this so consider yourself one of the lucky ones," she's whipping her gloves off and cramming them in her purse. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry and I lied."
"You're sorry and you lied," Dan repeats, making sure he's gotten it right.
"Yes," she says, unraveling her scarf from around her neck. "It was callous of me to say that I was only spending time with you out of boredom. That was part of it - in the beginning - but I think that currently, I'm the Lonely Girl to your Lonely Boy and whether or not you'll admit it, we're both filling a void that we've both been feeling lately. Beyond that, I enjoy your company. You're pleasant and humorous and you don't seem to judge me like other people do. It's nice," Blair finishes and stares at him, daring him to reject that apology.
Instead, Dan takes a few steps toward her and wraps his arms around her. Blair freezes at the contact and her eyebrows furrow. "What are you doing, Humphrey?"
He laughs gently and she can feel it vibrating in his chest. "It's called a hug, Blair. It's what people do - it's what friends do sometimes. How are you handling it?"
In return to his mocking comment, Blair smacks him hard against Dan's back, making him sputter. "Just fine, thank you."
"Do you want dinner?" Dan asks when he pulls away, one hand on each of her shoulders, holding her in place. "I was just about to make a giant caesar salad and I'm sure I could use someone to help me eat some of it and I know how much you love my cooking," he winks at her and makes his way over to the counter where a pile of leafy greens are waiting for him.
"My favorite," she sighs happily.
"I know," he grins at her while he rinses off some cherry tomatoes, tossing them in the bowl.
She gives him a look, "Jenny?"
He shakes his head and dries off his hands. "Nope. There are a few things I've learned about you on my own, Blair, believe it or not." A tingle shoots through her whole body when he says that. She won't admit it at that moment, but she likes that he knows things about her; that he notices things and remembers them for later. Even with something as uninteresting and minute as what type of salad she enjoys. And it's at that moment that Dan Humphrey breaks free of the frenemy title and moves on to friend with the potential of something more.
+++
"Question game," Dan suggests as they both finish eating their salads, sipping at the wine that Blair brought as part of her apology.
"Seriously?" Blair gives him a disbelieving look. "It's not the 7th grade, Humphrey." She pushes her dish away and takes another sip of wine. She feels nervous and excited at being in such close proximity of Dan Humphrey.
"It's break, Blair. Maybe you should take a break from being so worried about everything and what everyone will think of you and just go with the flow. Don't be Blair Waldorf, just be plain old Blair."
"Am not worried," she mutters darkly, mildly offended that he would think such a thing.
"Please!" He throws back his head and laughs. "You're just as neurotic as I am. Now, let's play the question game or are you afraid of a little bit of honesty?" He gives her a challenging smirk and she can't resist.
"You're on. I've got first question: if you could live in any decade, what would it be?" Dan regards her; a safe but interesting question.
"The 50s. Me, Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsburg...I would love it. Just to be around during that time of tumultuous cultural change. It would be amazing." He waits a moment before motioning for her to answer.
"The 60s," she smiles to herself, imagining it. "The fashion and the class are all I could ever hope for. There was so much sophistication."
They talk for a long time, discussing everything from favorite color to absolute truths to who they would get into a fist fight with and books. At some point in the evening, they lay down on the floor, each on their side facing one another.
"Blair?" Dan murmurs at one point.
"Hm?" She responds, smiling softly, both hands tucked underneath her head and her body curved into an 'S' shape.
"I'm glad you came over," and before he can process what he's doing, he reaches out one hand and brushes a piece of hair away from her face. "I don't mind being Lonely Boy as much when you're around."
"That's because you're not lonely," he knows she's starting to fall asleep but he doesn't want to wake her and tell her she should leave. Plus, he figures she's half asleep and doesn't realize what she's saying. "You've got me." Her eyes flutter shut and he knows she's fallen into a slumber.
Barely making a sound, he stands up and bends over her before scooping her up and carrying her to his room where he does the same thing he did earlier in the week; takes off her shoes, sets a glass of water next to the bed and sets out some sweats for her to change into.
It's becoming a routine. A routine that Dan doesn't mind.
---
Pairing: Dan/Blair
Rating: PG (for this part at least)
Summary: Dan and Blair are left to their own devices for the duration of winter break. With all of their friends gone, it seems that the two frenemies will have to rely on each other for entertainment.
Spoilers: Up to 4x11
Word Count: 3,547
Blair doesn't contact Dan Humphrey for three days after the hangover/sweatpants/cinnamon roll morning. She feels embarrassed by her drunken antics, frustrated by Dan's desire to break her out of her shell or whatever, and more than anything, she's perturbed by her growing fondness toward him. She figures that a little Dan Humphrey is too much Dan Humphrey so she stays away. She tells Dorota to change his name in her cellphone to something else - something generic that she'll never notice. That way, she won't be able to call him if - God forbid - she desires to do so.
So she spends the next three days eating chocolate and watching Audrey Hepburn movies and in-store shopping and online shopping and spa-ing. And fight it as she might, her mind flutters back to Dan more often than she could ever imagine or hope for. She finds herself wondering what he's up to, if he's thought about calling her, if he hasn't called her because he's disgusted by how she acted the other night at the concert.
More than that, she wonders just when in the hell Dan Humphrey's opinion of her started meaning anything at all.
+++
Dan doesn't contact Blair Waldorf for three days after the hangover/sweatpants/cinnamon roll morning. He's mystified at the developments that have occurred over the past few days. He saw a different side of Blair at the concert, albeit that side was a drunk one, it was still Blair and it showed him something new and unexpected. Even if it did take a few drinks to make it happen, Blair Waldorf had fun. She was loud and excited and genuine and sexy and carefree. He wishes that she could be like that - only less inebriated - more often. Less meddling, less plotting and planning, more denim, more dancing and singing.
Whether or not he is consciously aware of it, Dan wants Blair to let her guard down around him. He knows that underneath all of those hair products and 700 dollar dresses and lotions that make her smell positively edible, is a fun, less-crazy, lovable girl.
The only question is, will she ever let him see that side of her for real?
+++
"Hi. I'll have a medium coffee, two -"
"Creams, two sugars. I'll have the same, please." Blair turns to see who cut her off and finished her order for her at the coffee shop.
"Humphrey," she says, taking in his appearance of a smart (but cheap) peacoat and a grey scarf, "still stalking me, I see." She steps aside as Dan hands over a five and tells the girl behind the counter to keep the change. She smiles at him flirtatiously which causes Blair to glare at the girl - Casey - for a moment before striding over to the other end of the counter.
"Believe it or not, you're not the only person that comes into this coffee shop, Blair," Dan responds, sounding irritated but bored all the same.
"All I'm saying is that I come in here all of the time and I've never seen you before. Add that to the fact that I've seen an exorbitant amount of you in the last few days and it sounds like stalking to me. Perhaps you should try the other coffee shop down the street."
Dan, at a loss, simply grabs her coffee and thrusts it into her hand before grabbing his cup and walking away without a word. Blair watches him walk away, suddenly wishing she could talk to him. She grumbles and stamps her foot before calling out "Humphrey, wait!" but he's already stepping out of the shop.
So she chases him down. "Jesus, Humphrey! Are you in a walking marathon?" she lets out a heavy breath, her lungs burning from the cold air and the half-run, half-walk she just did.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he says, glaring at her, "I was afraid that I was in violation of the restraining order you have against me."
"Could you -" she almost has to jog to keep up with him, "could you slow down? I shop in the petite section for a reason, you know."
Finally, he fully stops and turns to look at her. He seems taller to her for some reason, like he's towering over her or something. "What is it, Blair? Is there something you need?"
She's taken aback at his tone. Is he...is he angry with her? Because if so, that would imply that he was something beyond nonchalant about her. Had he been happy with her and now she'd angered him? "Don't take it so personally, Humphrey. You should be used to getting the cold shoulder from me," she says simply.
"Actually," he shuts his eyes for a moment in frustration, "Actually, I thought that we'd gotten to a point where or figurative shoulders had become at least lukewarm. Apparently, I'm completely demented for thinking I could bump into you and we could hold a regular conversation or even hang out together for a day."
Blair stares at him, taken aback by his honesty. "I...There's a French film playing at the cinema today. Do you want to join me?"
Dan shifts his eyes back to her, thinking about whether or not she should - or even wants to - accept her offer. Finally, he sighs and says, "This is certainly becoming a repertoire between us, isn't it?" He smiles and nods his head in the direction of the theater.
"Whatever you say, Humphrey. Whatever you say," Blair rolls her eyes and they set off toward their destination.
+++
The movie goes off without a hitch. They sit quietly, comfortably (for the most part) and watch a heartbreaking French love story from the 60s unfold in front of them. Their hands never graze, they don't look at each other from the corner of their eyes, and they don't speak during the film. But in the back of their minds is the fact that they are sitting in such close proximity to the other one, that at any moment Dan could lift up his left arm and put it around Blair's shoulders, that if they were the kind of people who use armrests, their arms might rest against one another's. Still, they do their best not to acknowledge these possibilities.
"Are you hungry?" Dan squints as the bright sunlight ambushes his eyes after the movie. He turns to Blair, unsure of what kind of response he's going to get. Is he acting like a stalker?
"There's a new restaurant that just opened near my house. Apparently the chef is like...Wolfgang Puck's protogé or something." Blair waves a hand in the air nonchalantly, unimpressed but still it's worthy of a note.
Dan grabs her sleeve and tugs her the other way. "I was thinking...how do you feel about Greek food?" He looks down at her, hopeful and happy.
"Let's find out, shall we?" She smiles back at him and surprising both him and herself, she links her arm through his and they set off to nourish themselves.
Neither can help thinking that to anyone else who might see them, they must look like a couple. They must look like an annoying college couple who are so distracted by their emotions that the world becomes theirs and everyone else is just living in it. Just the kind of couple that both Blair and Dan have grown to hate for reasons unknown to them.
10 minutes and a fair amount of friendly banter later, Dan halts in front of a small restaurant crammed in between a comic book store and some apartments. "Blair Waldorf, I present to you: Souvlaki's, the best Greek restaurant in all of New York!" She looks at him skeptically before stomping up the stairs and into the warm restaurant.
"This place smells amazing," Blair looks around her in wonder. Who would have thought that a place like this could exist without her ever realizing it. Based on the looks of it from the outside, she never would have gone in let alone give it a second glance. But inside, the restaurant was beautiful, with scarlet red upholstery and dark grey carpet and beautiful light accents. "It looks amazing. Do you come here a lot?" She stares at the restaurant in awe as she and Dan are lead to a small booth in the back of the restaurant.
"Vanessa and I come here a lot," he replies casually, which brings her good mood down a few notches. "So if you want any tips on what's good, I can-"
"I think that I can make an entree decision without help from you, Humphrey," she says curtly, irritated by his previous comment regarding Vanessa.
Get it together, Waldorf. Why should you care a bit about if Humphrey spends time here with another girl - especially Vanessa. Why should you be threatened by her and why should you feel threatened in regard to anything related to, Dan Humphrey? Blair does her best to remain calm, but really all she wants to do is reach over and wipe that charming smile right off his face.
"So...how's school?" Dan asks, sounding stupid (or at least Blair thinks so).
"Really?" Blair gives him a look of hatred, "are you really resorting to the topic of school, Humphrey? Perhaps I give you too much credit." She shakes her head, turning her attention to the menu in front of her.
"Sorry to be genuinely interested in your life and your studies. Next time, I'll remind myself to act rude and aloof." For some reason, this statements gets to her. 'Next time' Dan said. Like this is something that would be happening again, maybe often, maybe it would become a weekly tradition. The fact that he intends to see her again softens her a bit.
"No it's just," she starts, not sure what to say, "I thought we were past such generic topics. What do you really want to know?" She gives him a look that he could swear verges on being flirtatious and suddenly he's a little bit nervous.
"All right," he thinks carefully, taking his time and mulling over just what it is he wants to ask. "Why have you been spending so much time with me this week?"
Blair blanches. That was a question she was not anticipating. If anything, it was a question she was dreading because it was something that she herself could not answer but desperately wanted to. Then again, she was afraid that if she could formulate an answer, she wouldn't much like it.
"I could ask the same of you," is all she can think to say. Not exactly evading the question but not answering it either.
"True, but I asked first," he gives her that look again, like he's one-upped her. She just can't stand for that.
She sighs heavily, closing the menu and making direct eye contact with him. "Boredom," and as if to drive her point home, she gives him the most bored look she can muster.
"Boredom," he repeats, a bit taken aback by her response.
"Perhaps you've been to one too many concerts, your hearing is starting to go," the waitress comes for their orders and Blair orders the souvlaki with tzatziki in the same breath as her dig at him. All he can say is "I'll have the same, please," and looks back at her. "Serena's gone, Nate's gone, Chuck's gone, even Erik is spending time with his boyfriend. You're the only person I know who remotely runs in the same circle as I do and has a lot of free time. After all, Gossip Girl doesn't refer to you as Lonely Boy for nothing, right?"
God, why am I being such a bitch? Blair wonders.
"Wow, Blair," and right before her eyes, he starts putting on his coat and tying his scarf. "I know we don't know each other that well, but I thought we'd built up a certain level of trust, a certain amount of honesty. I don't know what I was thinking."
He throws down 15 dollars and stands up.
"Where are you going? I thought we were eating!" She cries, surprised and hurt (even though in this case, he's the only one who should be hurt.)
"You can have mine. Take it home to Dorota or something. Or maybe give it to your next toy," Dan starts walking away from her backward and Blair thinks about that phrase If looks could kill. "You know, I'm not Chuck Bass. I'm trying to be your friend and all you want is to fight, to be proud and maintain the upper hand. And if that's how it's gonna be...I don't need to be here."
"Well where are you going?" She raises her voice to make sure that he hears her. It makes him stop for a minute and she thinks that maybe he'll come back and sit with her. No such luck.
"Back to Brooklyn," he says, sounding both hurt and angry. "To be with my boring old self. They don't call me Lonely Boy for nothing, do they?" And with that, he's gone, leaving Blair Waldorf in a beautiful restaurant and with two orders of souvlaki. But right now, Blair doesn't really feel like eating.
+++
"Dorota!" Blair yells when she steps out of the elevator. She doesn't know whether she should be angry, sad, disappointed, or relieved. She hasn't felt this messed up since she told Chuck she loved him and he wouldn't say it back.
"You called, Miss Blair?" Dorota comes scuttling up to her in her uniform, a worried expression plastered across her face. Blair simply thrusts two styrofoam containers full of souvlaki into her open hands and continues on.
"I need you to call my masseuse and I need a eucalyptus facial," Blair commands as she walks up the stairs. "And macaroons!" She adds loudly. What is going on? In what universe does anything that Dan Humphrey does upset me or affect me in any way? Blair throws herself onto her bed face first and lets out a scream, only to have it absorbed by the many layers of many-count sheets.
"Miss Blair?" Dorota knocks timidly and gently opens the door. "Masseuse will be here in 30 minutes and facial is all ready to go." Blair nods her assent into the mattress. "Miss Blair, tell Dorota what bothers you."
"Oh Dorota," Blair rolls over and moans. "I don't know what's happening to me. I can't stop thinking about Dan Humphrey. I think that I...like spending time with him."
"But Miss Blair, you don't like Mister Dan Humphrey!" Dorota says, her eyes wide with worry and shock. Blair secretly loves it when Dorota fusses over her and acts as her confidant - something her own mother rarely does.
"I know!" Blair wails and throws herself into the mountain of pillows at the top of her bed. Dorota is right - she doesn't like Dan Humphrey. How could she? He wears flannel - a fabric reserved for hobos and lumberjacks. He reads ee cummings and enjoys talking about literature. He doesn't know the different between a Christian Lacroix and a Christian Louboutin. And he's a Humphrey for God's sake.
"Maybe you are lonesome, maybe you turn to Dan when no one else around," Dorota responds comfortingly.
Slowly, Blair pulls her face away from the pillows and sits upright on the side of her bed. "Dorota, you're right. It isn't just boredom, I'm lonely. If he's lonely and I'm lonely, why shouldn't we spend some time together. It's not like I'm changing my chemical makeup or something drastic" she stands up and smiles at the woman who knows her so well. "Dorota, cancel the massage and the facial, keep the macaroons. I don't need an excuse to eat those."
"Yes, Miss Blair," Dorota complies and offers the young woman a smile. Dorota knows better than to believe that Blair is only spending time with Dan Humphrey because she's lonely, but she wants to hear what she needs to hear in order to maintain the control she so desires in her life.
+++
Dan prays to any deity that is listening that whoever just knocked on his door is not Blair Waldorf. Anyone but Blair, he thinks. No sooner does he open the door then a flash of red bursts past him and starts talking rapidly.
"Listen Humphrey. I rarely do this so consider yourself one of the lucky ones," she's whipping her gloves off and cramming them in her purse. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry and I lied."
"You're sorry and you lied," Dan repeats, making sure he's gotten it right.
"Yes," she says, unraveling her scarf from around her neck. "It was callous of me to say that I was only spending time with you out of boredom. That was part of it - in the beginning - but I think that currently, I'm the Lonely Girl to your Lonely Boy and whether or not you'll admit it, we're both filling a void that we've both been feeling lately. Beyond that, I enjoy your company. You're pleasant and humorous and you don't seem to judge me like other people do. It's nice," Blair finishes and stares at him, daring him to reject that apology.
Instead, Dan takes a few steps toward her and wraps his arms around her. Blair freezes at the contact and her eyebrows furrow. "What are you doing, Humphrey?"
He laughs gently and she can feel it vibrating in his chest. "It's called a hug, Blair. It's what people do - it's what friends do sometimes. How are you handling it?"
In return to his mocking comment, Blair smacks him hard against Dan's back, making him sputter. "Just fine, thank you."
"Do you want dinner?" Dan asks when he pulls away, one hand on each of her shoulders, holding her in place. "I was just about to make a giant caesar salad and I'm sure I could use someone to help me eat some of it and I know how much you love my cooking," he winks at her and makes his way over to the counter where a pile of leafy greens are waiting for him.
"My favorite," she sighs happily.
"I know," he grins at her while he rinses off some cherry tomatoes, tossing them in the bowl.
She gives him a look, "Jenny?"
He shakes his head and dries off his hands. "Nope. There are a few things I've learned about you on my own, Blair, believe it or not." A tingle shoots through her whole body when he says that. She won't admit it at that moment, but she likes that he knows things about her; that he notices things and remembers them for later. Even with something as uninteresting and minute as what type of salad she enjoys. And it's at that moment that Dan Humphrey breaks free of the frenemy title and moves on to friend with the potential of something more.
+++
"Question game," Dan suggests as they both finish eating their salads, sipping at the wine that Blair brought as part of her apology.
"Seriously?" Blair gives him a disbelieving look. "It's not the 7th grade, Humphrey." She pushes her dish away and takes another sip of wine. She feels nervous and excited at being in such close proximity of Dan Humphrey.
"It's break, Blair. Maybe you should take a break from being so worried about everything and what everyone will think of you and just go with the flow. Don't be Blair Waldorf, just be plain old Blair."
"Am not worried," she mutters darkly, mildly offended that he would think such a thing.
"Please!" He throws back his head and laughs. "You're just as neurotic as I am. Now, let's play the question game or are you afraid of a little bit of honesty?" He gives her a challenging smirk and she can't resist.
"You're on. I've got first question: if you could live in any decade, what would it be?" Dan regards her; a safe but interesting question.
"The 50s. Me, Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsburg...I would love it. Just to be around during that time of tumultuous cultural change. It would be amazing." He waits a moment before motioning for her to answer.
"The 60s," she smiles to herself, imagining it. "The fashion and the class are all I could ever hope for. There was so much sophistication."
They talk for a long time, discussing everything from favorite color to absolute truths to who they would get into a fist fight with and books. At some point in the evening, they lay down on the floor, each on their side facing one another.
"Blair?" Dan murmurs at one point.
"Hm?" She responds, smiling softly, both hands tucked underneath her head and her body curved into an 'S' shape.
"I'm glad you came over," and before he can process what he's doing, he reaches out one hand and brushes a piece of hair away from her face. "I don't mind being Lonely Boy as much when you're around."
"That's because you're not lonely," he knows she's starting to fall asleep but he doesn't want to wake her and tell her she should leave. Plus, he figures she's half asleep and doesn't realize what she's saying. "You've got me." Her eyes flutter shut and he knows she's fallen into a slumber.
Barely making a sound, he stands up and bends over her before scooping her up and carrying her to his room where he does the same thing he did earlier in the week; takes off her shoes, sets a glass of water next to the bed and sets out some sweats for her to change into.
It's becoming a routine. A routine that Dan doesn't mind.
---