Eric Is Back (A Gossip Girl Novel)

4. 2007

When I woke up, the first thing I became aware of was his smell. Dan's smell. It was all over the blanket. Was it cologne... or his natural scent? I looked up then, spotting a laundry rack in the corner of the room. I hadn't noticed it before. Dan's clothes were drying on it. Those flannel shirts he wore. Those... cardigans. His... his... underpants...

I looked away, expecting my stomach to twist in disgust. But, for some reason, it didn't. Something much worse happened. Feelings stirred in between my legs. I told myself it was just morning wood. But then, last night came back to me...

Eric, you're dreaming... It's not Damien... It's me, Dan...

I cringed, squirming all over the sofa. How the hell had I mistaken my stepbrother for Damien Dalgaard? I mean, they were nothing alike! Damien was a drug-dealer who had groomed me into being his stupid mule! And Dan was... was...

Well, Dan was nice... and smart... and smelled freakin' delicious!

Seriously, what the hell was in his cologne?!

"Morning, sleeping beauty..."

"Oh my God!" I gasped, nearly falling off the sofa. "Dan, y-you scared me!"

Sure enough, Dan was there... in the flesh... standing there in his freakin' pyjamas! Last night hadn't been some weird, messed-up dream, after all!

It had been very, very real.

"Oops, sorry!" Dan said. "I thought you were awake! Well, now that you're up – you want me to make you some breakfast?"

My eyes flashed to the clock on the wall. It was nine o'clock in the morning.

"Um... no, that's okay," I said. "I-I should probably get going."

"No, no! Stay! I'm serious – I'll make you something nice."

I was surprised Dan was being so hospitable. I mean, I had totally freaked him out when I'd accidentally kissed him last night. Maybe he knew it really was just an accident and had forgotten all about it.

"Well... okay, then," I said, giving in.

"Cool!"

Dan and I were sat at the kitchen counter eating pancakes and bacon. As my stomach filled up, I started to feel less nervous around Dan. Last night really had been just a total misunderstanding – I hadn't meant to kiss my stepbrother!

Obviously!

But then, out of nowhere, Dan said, "We should probably talk about last night."

I choked on a sip of my orange juice, spitting it back into the glass.

"Oh!" I spluttered. "W-we s-should?"

"Well, yeah!" Dan said. "I mean, all that stuff you said about that Damien guy..."

"Oh, r-right," I said, relieved. "Don't worry – I won't be seeing him again. You were right about the whole thing – he's a total jerk."

"Are you sure you're going to stay away from him?" Dan asked, leaning forward on his stool.

I nodded quickly. "Absolutely. One hundred percent."

He smiled. "Good."

I wasn't going to see Damien again. That was for sure. But, deep down, there was someone else that I knew I wanted to see again.

He had curly, black hair and made killer pancakes...

And he was definitely not a drug-dealer!