"Humphrey." Blair says so quietly, it's almost a whisper. A name she thought she would never say again.
And then, she turns and runs away from him.
----
Three years ago, Blair was told to chose between Chuck and Dan. She chose Chuck and let Dan get...
Her stomach fluttered as his eyes settled on her. The feelings she had held back for so long were back in a rush. She had thought three years would wash them away. That they wouldn't return that easily. But she was proved wrong in that moment.
She could tell he lost himself for a moment. He said nothing and just stared at her. There was no one else but them in that moment. Until he spoke.
The next hour was a blur of going over the syllabus, the required reading, a brief intro into what the course held. And then it was over.
She got up quickly, as soon as the class was over. Planning to rush out and collect herself. but sitting in the back had been a mistake. It meant, she had to wait as other students filed out first. Caught behind them, her foot tapping, willing them to move faster. As she descended the stairs, most of the students were out by now. Only a few in front of her who were chatting amongst themselves.
"Blair." Her stomach fluttered once more as he said her name. Well, there was no ignoring him now. She scrambled to think of what to say. She had no words.
Neither of them moved for a moment, she just stared at him. His face willed her to say something. Finally, she said, "Humphrey."
"Uh, can we go somewhere to talk? I would love to catch up with you..." His eyes pleaded for her to say yes.
"I wish I could but I have another class starting in 30 minutes, I should probably go find it and get my books ready, my syllabus..."
He cut in. "30 minutes is plenty of time. Blair, I haven't seen you in three years."
His pleading eyes made her chest swell. Betraying herself and her carefully crafted plan to avoid him this semester, she said yes.
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So they headed towards the courtyard which held a small coffee cart. He ordered for them, three years later still remembering her order.
"Thanks." She said softly as he handed her an espresso doppio. Too wrapped up in her own thoughts to manage more.
"So..." He started, sitting across from her. "You're a hard person to see again."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well, three years and I haven't seen you. For two people with quite a few friends in a common, you would think we would see each other more often." Dan said.
"Actually, there were quite a few parties where you were apparently there and left just before me. And a few no shows." He continued.
"Ships in the night, I guess." She nonchalantly replied while taking a sip of her coffee. "Besides, are you stalking me?"
There was a slight flush to his cheeks now. "No, I mean. It's just odd to think we haven't seen each other, that's all."
"Right." She nodded. "So what are you doing here?" She changed the subject.
"The university offered me the position of creative writing professor. I couldn't say no to the chance to live in Paris."
"Professor Humphrey." She said with a slight smirk.
"I guess so. It's weird being called that"
"What were you doing before this?" She asked, eyes inquisitive.
"Writing, mostly." He started to fill her the few short stories for Vanity Fair and a few small publications. "Nothing overly eventful he concluded."
"You?" He looked at her knowingly.
"Well, I moved here two years ago. This is now my last semester, I'll have a Master of Arts in Global Communications. Then, I'll be applying for a position with Vogue Paris and hopefully stick around for a while."
"Do you ever miss it?" She looked caught off guard. As though he had asked something unexpected. "New York, I mean." He clarified in case she read more into that question. "Or ruling the Upper East Side?"
She laughed. "No, those days are past me. But sometimes I do miss the city."
"When was the last time you went back?" He asked.
"Last year." She replied coolly.
"No Christmas in the city?" He looked sad for her.
"No, I went to my father's chateau in the countryside. It's so beautiful there."
"Well, I'm glad you love it here so much."
"Me too. Look, I should get going to my next class." She said somewhat abruptly.
His disappointment was written all over his face, he was sure of it. "Right. When will I see you again?"
"Unless you plan on quitting then Wednesday." She rolled her eyes as it was obvious.
"Oh. I meant outside of class."
"I'm sure I'll see you around. Thanks for the coffee." She said, walking away and flashing him a slight smile.
