Gossip Girl (Book Five)

Twenty

I was in my bedroom, sitting on my chair as I put on my heels when I heard Serena call out to me. "Can I borrow your bag from yesterday?" Serena asked from her bedroom.

"Yeah!" I shouted back, taking off my shoes and trying another pair when Serena walked in. My phone went off on a Gossip Girl blast. "You know, sometimes I wonder how Gossip Girl knows everything so fast?" I asked and Serena smirked.

"She probably has someone staked out in front of the building." Serena stated and I nodded. "You know what's strange? Ever since the real Gossip Girl's been back, I've barely been mentioned. I just wish that there was a way to stay off her radar forever."

I couldn't help but scoff, walking over to the mirror. "Oh, please. It is your destiny to be gossip-worthy."

"What?"

I looked back at Serena. "Tonight, you are modeling a line of lingerie named after you at Kiki de Montparnasse. Gossip Girl won't be able to resist. You're always her number one target."

"You don't have any brilliant ideas how to push me off the top of her list?"

I crossed my arms, giving her a questioning look. "So you really want out?"

"I just--I'm ready to move on with my life, and I can't do that with Gossip Girl tracking my every move."

I sighed. "Well, you need to replace yourself. Find a new Serena. Use your influence to anoint her the new 'It Girl'. Retain control but stay out of the spotlight yourself." I explained.

"Okay. Well, where do I start?"

"At the beginning, of course, with the defining moment. I mean, you didn't really become Serena Van Der Woodsen until you got naked on that aircraft carrier."

"You don't need to make it sound like a porno. We were on a school trip. And I wasn't naked. I was wearing a dress."

"A white, wet dress. The photo landed on Gossip Girl, and that was it. It's gonna take a moment like that to create the next Serena Van Der Woodsen."

"Okay, what about you? What are your plans today?"

"You mean other than still avoiding Dan?"

"You haven't talked to him?" Serena asked with judgment in her tone.

"Trust me. It's mutual. Since Gossip Girl blasted about my relationship with Chuck, he hasn't even sent me a text." I looked at my watch. "Speaking of which, I have to go see him."

"Tell him I said hi." Serena said as I walked out of my bedroom.

"I will!" I shouted back as I made my way to the elevator.

I made it up to Chuck's penthouse just in time to see his PI leaving the elevator as I was stepping on. I walked out to the living room and Chuck was staring out the window. "I saw your PI leaving." I stated, setting my bag down and walking over to sit on the couch. "You wanna talk about it?"

Chuck let out a deep breath, turning to look at me. "Very much." Chuck walked over sitting on the couch next to me. I put my arm around his shoulders and I could see his whole demeanor calm. "I thought that I moved on, that this whole business with my mother was in the past. I could live with the uncertainty because the woman I met, I didn't care if she was my mother or not. Then I found out she did this extraordinary thing for me. Is it wrong to think that changes things?"

I shook my head. "No. Of course not."

"Is it worth it to try and reach out again?"

I let out a deep breath. "I don't know, Chuck. There are a lot of uncertainties, especially in your family. But I also think that is the type of thing that will eat at you if you don't try. I mean, I know it's scary, but if all goes well, you won't regret it. You'll kick yourself for not doing it sooner."

"And if it goes bad?"

"You'll never have to worry again." Chuck slightly nodded and I leaned in kissing his cheek.

After spending my morning with Chuck, I was going to be going shopping with Alanna. She said she wanted to go buy some things and I happen to love shopping. What she didn't tell me was that we were only going to shop for William. "You know I am always shopping, but do we have to only go to kid stores?" I asked as we walked down the street.

"I'm shopping for your nephew." Alanna stated.

"Who has enough? You, on the other hand, have worn that shirt twice this week."

"I washed it."

"There's a stain."

Alanna looked down at her shirt, letting out a deep breath. "I had a sandwich."

"I am going to get you a new wardrobe and you are going to think of yourself." We went to turn the corner and I ran right into Dan. My entire body tensed up. "Dan"

"Lena." He said with the same uncomfortableness as me.

"Well, this isn't awkward." Alanna stated.

"It's not awkward." I stated.

"No, of course not, the only thing that would be awkward is if we kissed and talked about being in a relationship and then your sister just started ignoring me because she got back with her ex-boyfriend that traded her for a hotel." Dan stated.

"I didn't ignore you." I scolded him.

"You haven't seen, called, or texted me!"

"Phones work both ways!"

Dan slightly nodded. "You're right. They do." Then he just walked passed me in a huff. I'm going to have to talk to him eventually. 

"Well, that was probably better than I could have hoped for." I stated and Alanna just nodded following me to the next store.

"What was that about a hotel?" Alanna asked and I felt my eyes get wide. I don't think she knows about that and I don't want to tell her.

~~~

Chuck and I were finishing up dinner when he got a call from his PI. So I went with him to meet him at the bar. We sat down and I ordered us a drink. "Always good to see you, but you really didn't need to come all the way to the Mark to meet me, Andrew. You could've just e-mailed me Elizabeth's information." Chuck stated.

"That's why I came. I don't think you should contact her, Chuck." Andrew said, instantly getting my attention.

"Look, I appreciate you looking out for me, but I've decided I wanna try and have a relationship with my mother."

"That's the thing. Elizabeth is not your mother. I made contact. She swore it wasn't her who donated the blood. Said she was in a monastery in Tibet at the time."

"A monastery?" Chuck quickly shook her head. "She's lying. She's good at that."

"I looked into it. Her story checks out."

"Keep looking. Someone donated that blood. I wanna know who." Andrew nodded, getting up from the bar. Chuck looked back at me. "What is that look?"

I didn't know I was making a look, so I struggled to get words out of my mouth. "I'm just nervous, I guess."

"You told me I should go after her."

"When you had someone to go after. Now, you don't know what you are going to find or what it's going to do to you." I stated and Chuck sighed.

"I have to try. And I need you by my side when I do."

I let out a deep breath, slightly smiling at him. "Always." I stated, leaning in to press my lips against his.