Fic: The Odd Couple (Chapter 10)
Title: The Odd Couple
Pairing: Blair/Dan
Rating: T (some R in this chapter)
Summary: AU/Future. Pulling on her eye mask once more, she succumbed to sleep wondering if she would regret this. This idea of having a roommate. And not only that, but a roommate that is from Brooklyn, goes to NYU, and is ...a stranger.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip Girl.
.
.
.
Chapter 10
The weeks passed quickly after their weekend at Brown. As their fall semester ended, the holidays came in full swing. Once Serena was back from school, the four friends- when they weren't out on the town-spent most of their nights at the penthouse. They watched holiday movies, had their own cookie party, (which spurred many delicious memories for Blair and Dan), and played countless board games.
On the 23rd of December, Dan eagerly went to his internship knowing it was not only a half-day, but the last day he'd have to work for a few weeks. Then he could finally sleep in, sneak into Blair's room, and wake her up in the most arousing way possible.
Right as he was pouring his third cup of coffee, his phone rang. "Shit," he muttered, the drink spilling over the mug and scalding his hand.
He set the cup down and fished for his phone. "Dan Humphrey," he answered.
"Hi Dan, this is Steve Dixon, your old-"
"Landlord," Dan finished. "I remember. Can I help you with something?"
"Well, it seems there's been a change of events. Do you have a moment to talk?"
Confused and intrigued, Dan sat at his desk. "Sure."
::
Later that afternoon, Dan made his way upstairs, nerves racking his body. His phone call with Steve had been on his mind the entire day, and he didn't know how Blair would react to his news.
"Hey," he said from her bedroom doorway. He leaned against the frame.
Blair looked up and smiled. "Oh good, you're home. I just got off the phone with Nate, and he said to meet us at-" She noticed his sullen expression. "What's wrong?"
"Can we talk?"
She froze, nerves instantly taking over. "Of course. Is everything okay?" Shutting her laptop, she set it aside to make room for him on the bed, but he leaned against her desk instead.
"Well, that depends."
"On...?"
"On how upset you'll be if I move out."
She blinked, not expecting his response in the slightest. "Move out?"
"My old landlord just called, and apparently something happened with the sale of the building, and so they aren't knocking it down. He's offered me back my old apartment with the same lease and-"
"You took it?"
He let out a breath. "I said I'd think about it. But, I think I'm going to take it."
"Oh."
"Are...you okay with that?"
"What?" Blair asked, sounding dazed. "Oh...of course I am." She forced a smile. "You loved that apartment. And Brooklyn! It'll be great for you to be back in Brooklyn." Before he could respond, she looked at the clock. "We're going to be late if we don't leave now."
She was out of the room faster than he could stop her. He didn't know whether to be relieved or sad at her reaction to his news. Maybe she really didn't mind him moving-
"Dan!" her voice called from downstairs. "We're already late!"
"Coming," he sounded back.
They'd talk about it later.
::
She didn't speak the entire way to the restaurant, but thankfully gave a small smile when he took her hand. Nate even seemed to notice her mood, as he handed her a stong drink once they arrived.
"Drink up, B. Turn that frown upside down," he joked, trying to lighten the obviously sour mood.
"What frown, Nathanial?" she asked, grinning a little too widely.
"Nevermind," he sighed. "How was your day?"
"It was alright," Dan answered.
"Mine was great," Blair said. "Oh, by the way...Nate, did you hear the wonderful news?" she added in a voice coated with faux-excitement.
Nate gasped. "You're engaged!"
Both Blair and Dan nearly choked.
"No! Why would you..." Dan gave Nate a look that screamed not cool, man.
"Nate, we've been dating for three months. I hardly think that's enough time to get a ring," Blair clipped, taking a sip of her drink.
Nate shrugged. "Whatever. I mean...you two are obviously in love, so it's not an entirely stupid guess," he defended. "Besides, you guys already live together, so I assumed an engagement was next."
Giving a close-mouthed smile, Blair looked to Dan to take this one.
Dan sighed. "Actually, that's not my news." He waited for a beat. "I'm moving back to Brooklyn." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Blair bristle.
Nate's eyes widened. "What?" He noticed Blair's sullen expression and lowered his voice. "I mean, why would you do that? I thought they tore it down."
"Apparently they didn't, and offered me my old apartment back."
"So?" Nate challenged. "You don't need to take it."
Dan let out a breath. "I know, but-" His phone interrupted him. Looking at the screen, he sighed. "I gotta take this. I'll be right back."
The remaining pair stayed silent until Dan was out of view.
"And you're okay with this?" Nate questioned, staring at Blair.
She rolled her eyes and lowered her voice. "We're just dating, it's not like I can tell him what to do," she bit out.
"Yeah, but you're allowed to tell him how you feel about it," Nate retorted. "Blair, you two aren't just "dating"-you're in a committed relationship. I think you deserve some say in this."
Blair gave her first genuine smile of the day. "That's sweet, Nate. But honestly I just found out about the whole thing. We haven't really talked about it in great length."
"Well you should. I mean, when would he move out?"
Blair's eyes caught Dan as he moved back inside. "I don't know, Nate!" she rushed out. "I'll talk to him later."
But even after their dinner was over, she still wasn't in the mood to talk. As the conversation went on throughout the meal, she felt more and more hurt by the situation. What Nate had said hit her hard-they were in a committed relationship. A relationship that-she thought-was headed in a good direction. Nate was right: they lived together, they loved each other, and whatever came next would most likely be marriage. She was in no way ready for that stage yet, but she more than happy with the way things were now. And she thought Dan was too.
"Want to watch a movie?" he asked as they exited the elevator.
After a moment of thought, Blair shook her head. "No, I'm actually really tired. I think I'm just going to go to bed."
Dan's heart fell. As the hours went by, she became colder and more distant. He gave a strained smile. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning." He leaned down to kiss her, almost expecting her to turn her cheek, but thankfully she didn't.
Despite her anger, Blair smiled against his lips and curled her arms around his neck. Once she pulled away, she took his hand. "Come with me."
Desire already burning in his eyes, he quickly obliged and followed her up the stairs. Once in her room, they tore away at each other clothes, locking their mouths against any free body part and eliciting from each other the most delicious of sounds. It was the combination of the emotional evening mixed with pure lust that made the moment so rushed and heated. Softly lowering her on the bed, Dan wasted no time before kissing her breast and slipping inside her, making her cry out from the wonderful feeling. Gripping the sheets with one hand, and his hair with the other, she mirrored his rocking movements with the same intensity. When he attacked her neck with his lips, she gave a breathy sigh and arched her back, burying herself further inside him. Their moans and gasps filled the heated room and intensified the passion, and soon they both felt the tingling sensation of a much-needed release. Speeding up his motions, Dan kissed her deeply, eagerly meeting her tongue with his. With one last thrust, they both went over the edge together, repeating each other's names in sighs of ecstasy.
"I love you," Blair said as she came down from her high. "So much."
Grinning, Dan leaned down and kissed her again. "I love you too," he whispered, still trying to catch his breath.
She propped up on her elbow and faced him, still breathing heavily. "So then why do you want to move out?" she questioned, but he could still hear the hurt laced in her voice.
Silence filled the room, save for their slowing breaths, and Blair waited for his answer.
"It has nothing to do with how much I love you," he said, feeling guilty that she could think such a thing. "I see a future with you Blair; I've never felt this way about anyone in my life. So please don't think I'm moving out because I don't love you."
"Then help me understand! I love waking up to you in the morning, whether or not we wake up in the same bed. I love having breakfast with you, watching movies with you, making dinner with you. I don't want that to change."
"I think spending time apart will make us stronger. I want to be in a relationship with you and not be with you all the time." Before she could get offended or open her mouth, he spoke again. "And what I mean is...I want to be able to miss you. To spend time apart so that the next time I see you, I appreciate you more-us more. I want to miss you so much that at three in the morning, after not seeing you all day, I'll need to see you."
She smiled at his sweet answer. "That makes sense. And it would be nice to live alone again...to focus on my last semester of school."
"Exactly."
"I just wish you talked about it with me before deciding," she confessed.
Shaking his head at himself, he said, "I know. I should have talked to you first. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." She sighed, despite her changing of mind. "I'll miss living with you though," she said quietly, tracing the curve of his neck with her finger.
"Me too." He tucked a stray curl behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing you dressed in my shirts for your walk of shames from Brooklyn."
She narrowed her eyes. "I don't think so, Daniel. I will be leaving some clothes at your apartment so that doesn't happen."
He feigned disappointment. "Oh, that's a shame. I think it's really sexy when you wear my clothes."
Her eyebrow quirked. "Really?" she asked breathlessly, crawling on top of him again. She leaned down and her brown curls fell around them like a veil.
"Mmhmm," he nodded, capturing her lips. "You know what else is sexy?"
Biting her lip, Blair shook her head playfully. "Show me."
And all whole night long, he did.
::
He decided to move out the first week of January, so both Blair and Dan thought it would be appropriate to throw one final party of the year in the Penthouse together. It was also the perfect opportunity for them to meet (some) of each other's parents. Eleanor and Cyrus had flown in for Christmas and, once they heard word of the party, extended their vacation into the New Year. Rufus and Lily promised to make an appearance before another party called their name. And, in addition to Serena and Nate, Vanessa came back into town, happily surprising Dan.
"I've heard so much about you...I feel like I know you already!" Vanessa said, giving Blair a hug. "He's totally smitten."
Smiling, Blair wrapped an arm around Dan's waist and placed a hand on his chest. "Well...so am I." He kissed her temple as the elevator doors sounded and all their parents spilled out.
The rest of the evening went better than expected. Blair had been incredibly nervous to meet his parents, mainly because she knew this was it-Dan was it. So making a lasting and perfect impression on his parents was of the utmost importance.
It didn't take long for either side of parents to see how in love they were. They had never seen their children look happier; Eleanor and Cyrus easily approved of Dan, as Lily and Rufus did of Blair.
As the midnight hour drew near, champagne flowed, cake was served, and each guest searched out their special someone. Eyeing the thirty-second mark on her watch, Blair slipped away from her conversation with Serena to locate Dan. She found him by the windows overlooking the city.
"There you are," she said just as the countdown began, wrapping her arms around his body.
10
9
8
"Ready to start the New Year together?"
7
6
5
"There's no one else I'd rather spend it with," he answered, running his hands through her hair and cupping her head. "I love you."
4
3
"I love you too."
2
1
The "Happy New Years" were muffled and no longer important once their lips touched. It didn't matter where they lived, or if it was with each other or apart. What mattered was they were starting 2012- and every year after-together.
.
.
.
tbc