Sinners and Saints

Chapter 31

Welcome back, Upper East Siders.

 After a long, hot summer away I see I didn't take much time for you to dirty up the clean slates I gave you. 

My inbox is overflowing, so let's get to the good stuff shall we?

Spotted Chuck Bass up to his old tricks. Poor L. 

I guess nothing good lasts forever.

I admire myself in the mirror proud of the job I had done on my makeup this morning despite being rushed to meet Chuck for lunch.

 I adjust my dress and head out of the bathroom turning my smile into a frown. 

"What the hell is going on?" I exclaim as I turn the corner to see Chuck and a blonde girl.

 "London?" Chuck questions in pretend shock to see me. 

The girl looks over at me "I'm so sorry. I didn't know he had a girlfriend." 

"Yes you did." Chuck corrects her, fixing his tie and then he turns to me. 

"She did." 

I question loudly "How could you Ashley Henshaw? Someone in a relationship? Have you no pride? No self respect?" 

"I didn't know-" she starts but I cut her off. 

"Now take your poreless skin and your American girl hair and get out!" 

"Okay, you're crazy." she replies leaving Chuck and I alone. 

Once she was gone Chuck moves to wrap his arm around me "I missed you."

 "Me too." I say smiling up at him.

Later that day I meet up with Serena and Blair to catch each other up on our summer activities.

 "Wait, you do what? I go to Europe for three months and you turn from Jane Austen to Anais Nin? Is there anything Chuck Bass can't get you to do?" Serena questions me as we walk through the city. 

"It was my idea." I inform her.

 "No, no, it wasn't" Blair says with a hint of disappointment in her voice. 

"We had our honeymoon period, and it was perfect. But while other couples settle, we were determined to keep things interesting. So Chuck plays the cheating bastard and I play the scorned woman. I even get to choose who to humiliate. Models, Upper West Siders." I explain to my friends. 

"I don't know if anybody ever told you the honeymoon is supposed to end. The real part is when you settle down. The three-month milestone." Serena tells me. 

"It is not a milestone. It's a gravestone. Settling down means death. Less sex, more silence. We found a way to avoid that that works for us." I try to reason with them. 

"If you love him, then lock him down. Open relationships only invite chaos. Trust me I know." Serena warns me. 

"It's not an open relationship. We're completely monogamous. It's just one of our games, like the rest." I state. 

"Yeah, until it isn't anymore. Playing and actually being the scorned woman is a slippery slope. L, college is about to start. What happens when you don't get there in time and he actually kisses someone else, or worse." Blair advises me. 

"He wouldn't." I assure them but Blair reminds me of what happened last summer. 

Serena joins in "London, it just feels like you are changing yourself for Chuck...which you shouldn't do."