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[turnthebadinme]

It was day five of her stay on Tabula Rasa, and Serena was more than ready to jump ship and strike out for home. Had this been Capri or Dubai, she could've chartered a G5 and been back in Manhattan by midnight. The chances of even a van der Woodsen getting her pretty little hands on a private jet here, however, were probably even smaller than the

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[dr_robchase]

He still went for his daily swims, just not always at the same time. So when he'd been out for about an hour and wandered to his bag, he hadn't expected to find anyone nearby, but that was the chance you took on the Island. He grasped his towel and started to dry himself off, offering a polite smile. "Hi," he said, simply, trying not to drip all over her magazine.

[turnthebadinme]

Serena had been so engrossed in reading Dan's story, she hadn't even noticed the guy come up out of the water until he spoke. It was just, the story was about her. Of all the things Dan could've written about and had published, it was about her.

When she did look up, though, with a ready grin and a word of greeting on the tip of her tongue, her eyes widened. Okay, so people had mentioned that James Bond and Han Solo and people like that were around the island, but she hadn't yet actually met anyone she recognized as anyone but a movie star double. She'd only ever caught a couple episodes of House, but she was pretty sure she knew this guy. "Hi," she said, sitting up a little more, smiling. "Uh, how's the water?"

[dr_robchase]

"Definitely warm," he said, trying not to shake droplets onto her. "I'm sorry, I can move my stuff further down the beach if you want?" Truth be told, he was glad for people appearing like this, and being so close. Otherwise, he might never talk to people.

[turnthebadinme]

"No, it's cool." Serena drew her knees toward her, laying the magazine flat against her lap. She let a hand rest on the page, fingertips skimming briefly along the title. "There's plenty of room here. I'm Serena." If she was stuck for the foreseeable future, it couldn't hurt to meet people. They didn't know her name here like they did at home.

[dr_robchase]

Chase shook the towel through his hair and tugged on a long-sleeved shirt as he reached a hand out (a dry hand) to shake her hand. "I'm Rob," he introduced himself with a polite smile, reserved mostly for patients. "From the clinic, usually, but today, of the beach."

[turnthebadinme]

Australian accent, medical career, first name Rob - check, check, check. This place just got more and more bizarre. Still Serena was on her feet and shaking his hand with a broad smile. "Of the clinic, huh?" she echoed. "Usually I'm from Manhattan, but I guess we're of the same place today."

[dr_robchase]

"The weirdest and prettiest island ever," Chase agreed and it was one of the very few times he had ever spoken kindly of the Island, and that was saying something. "You look like you're enjoying it."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena's eyes rolled upward and she tilted her head from one side to the other, considering that. "I guess," she said. "It's a beautiful day on a beautiful beach." She shrugged one shoulder, smile still on her lips as she added, "It would be a lot better if I could go home at the end of the week, you know?"

[dr_robchase]

"Funny, that's what I kept saying week after week after week," Chase agreed with a bemused smile as he settled a small distance away on his own towel. "And that was over 104 weeks ago, by now."

[turnthebadinme]

"Oh." Serena let her hands fall against her sides, then slid her hands into the pockets of her shorts. It didn't matter how many people had told her they been here for months or years, it was only five days in and the idea of being here another seven hundred days remained overwhelming. She'd been all over the world, but she couldn't help thinking she'd never been further from the Upper East Side than she was now. Sitting back down again, she shook her head, trying not to look sullen about the idea of being stuck.

She was supposed to be in Manhattan. She was supposed to be with Dan and taking care of Eric. "How do you deal with it?" she asked, looking over at Rob. "How do you get used to being somewhere you're not supposed to be and... and never going back to where you belong?"

[dr_robchase]

"A lot of denial," he admitted frankly, running a hand through his damp hair. "And I mean, a lot of it. Sometimes, people you know turn up and that helps. Sometimes they vanish again, but until they do, it's nice to have the time in between. And sometimes, you find reasons to stay."

[turnthebadinme]

Serena laughed, a kind of recognition in the sound. Denial could only last so long, but it was so good while it lasted. "My friend Blair was with me when I showed up," she said. "I'd be pretty lost if she hadn't been. What kind of reasons do you find?"

[dr_robchase]

"Well, marriage for one. But also, incredible mangoes," Chase said, as if the mangoes thing was more than the marriage. "I think most days, the marriage is the better of the two. You know, most days."

[turnthebadinme]

"But sometimes the mangoes win, huh?" Serena suggested, grinning. She dusted her hands against her jeans and sighed dramatically. "Well, I guess I'm gonna have to start living for mangoes. I'm a little young for marriage and I think my boyfriend would find a way here just to kill me."

[dr_robchase]

"How old are you? And your boyfriend?" Chase asked, adding the last bit quickly so as to not come off looking really weird or like he was flirting.

[turnthebadinme]

Serena laughed. "We're both seventeen. Me and my boyfriend. Dan. Who is, apparently, back in Brooklyn, where he's supposed to be, but it's not here so..." The laugh had died away, and though there was still a smile on her face, she looked down at her hands. If he'd seemed like he might've been flirting, well, Serena was too used to that stuff to really notice, even if she'd been paying attention.