Cotillion Chaos (dair)

#9

This just in: Lonely Boy and B stole the ball and then disappeared at the stroke of midnight! Where did they go? Xoxo, Gossip Girl.

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She slips the key to him and lets Dan lead her by hand up an ornate flight of stairs that made their rendezvous feel tres posh. The air smelled of lilacs and the Cotillion music was drifting away. Everything about this hotel and setting tonight was breathtaking with the stone and marble. She couldn't imagine another location for a sudden romantic tryst.

She never imagined this special night would be with Dan Humphrey. Even while her eyes watched from behind as he led the way. Her hand pleasantly secured in his. Maybe the shock hadn't fully subsided yet.

Or the surprise of tonight gave her a secret thrill that urged her on.

"How big is this door?" Dan asked, mystified as he unlocked her suite door that towered over them and was made of the finest wood. Dainty flowers were painted on its exterior.

"This is not just any room, Humphrey. This is the garden suite. I've had it booked since sixth grade."

Dan held the door open for her. "You've planned for this night since sixth grade?"

Blair entered the suite with narrowed eyes, not sure if she was liking where this conversation was going. "I have."

She took in the three roomed suite that consisted of the master bedroom, a sitting parlour and sunroom with an open balcony to the gardens below. She inspected all the beautiful layout and would have to wait to check the bathroom when Dan obviously still had something to say. She turned back to face him with raised eyebrows as he finished collecting himself to talk.

"So this isn't a disappointment to you?"

"What?"

"You're not disappointed?"

"Well I didn't exactly want to get kicked out of my own Cotillion but that wasn't our fault, was it?" she asked, starting to approach him so her fingers could play with the lapels of his suit. Her voice gained a playful quality again.

He visibly swallowed and the action caused a sneaky little smirk to appear on her face.

"No. Not that," he said softly, almost breathless. "Are you disappointed you're here in your sixth grade garden suite with me, Waldorf?"

Her fingers froze at the name change and suddenly she understood his question. She looked up at him in surprise, not expecting that question of all things. Her hands fell away from him. "Are we seriously having this conversation right now?" This topic seemed too deep for this moment.

Dan huffed, "We have to at some point. We can't just continue without addressing the elephant in the room."

"Then address it, Humphrey." She didn't start this conversation and she refused to be the instigator of the next step.

"Fine! I'm not going to sleep with you just for you to probably take off in the morning and ignore me at school, Waldorf."

"Oh."

Blair blinked up at him, not predicting that as the elephant in the room. She thought he meant he had some hang up over her first love being Nate and this room being first intended for the Archibald heir or even their messy shared past that was Serena, his ex and her ex-best friend.

She didn't expect he would be worried for his own heart. To even use her last name as a wall between them now when he had been calling her Blair all night.

How cute!

"Are you saying you want something more with me, Humphrey?" She fought off a grin.

He blushed. "I'm saying you can't just use me."