"Hello, Blair." Her father said, his arms extending as he pulled her in for an awkward hug.
"Dad, Mom. I just—I can't believe you actually came." Blair said, her body rigid as she awkwardly allowed him to embrace her.
"Well of course, dear. You invited us out to see your little show. We had to come see what all the fuss was about. The performance was nice." Elena Andrews replied in a voice that made Blair question the sincerity of her somewhat polite remark. "How much longer will this be? We were hoping we could take you our for dinner. We went ahead and made a reservation at Victor's just in case."
"Um, well, I'd have to ask Blake he said something about us having plans for later. Besides, I have to stay for my duet with him anyway so it'll be at least another hour or two."
"Two hours? And who is Blake?" Her mother scoffed, seemingly annoyed that she would have to wait.
"Yeah, um, is that okay? And Blake is my boyfriend, he's the singer for the headlining band." Blair remarked. She felt small. She had forgotten what it was like to be under her mother's constant scrutiny. Her mother gave her a look that told her she was far less than impressed with Blair and the entire ordeal.
"Well, he can come along, I suppose." Her mother replied. "Should we go back to our seats, Daryl?" She asked, turning to Blair's father.
"Sure." With that the woman turned on her heels, heading back to the arena access door with Blair's father following after her like a lost dog.
Blair exhaled as she watched her parents walk away, exhausted from even just a brief conversation with them. She couldn't dwell on her thoughts, her attention was needed elsewhere and so she moved towards the stairs that led to the stage as the call for her came over her monitors.
She heard Blake call her name and she drifted towards him, her mind still elsewhere. She tripped over a wire when she was about a foot from him and he lunged forward to catch her. The crowd gasped as she breathed out a sigh of relief.
Worry crossed his face as he looked down at her, his grip still tight against her forearms.
"Are you okay, B?" He asked, awaiting her reply. She nodded, her cheeks reddened from embarrassment.
"She's literally falling for me guys." Blake joked into the microphone, laughing at his own joke as Dex played a sting.
"Ha, ha. Very funny. I'm just a klutz. It's fine." She laughed it off as the opening notes of Shake it Out rang through the stadium.
Blair loved the new lighting for this song the crew had designed, it illuminated she and Blake until he was the only thing she could see. It made the moment seem so private, just the two of them merging their voices as one. It made it so easy to forget where they were, despite them being surrounded by ten thousand people.
When they finished the song, Blake pulled her against his chest as she slipped her arms around his waist.
"By the way, my parents are crashing our dinner plans. Sorry, have a good show!" She whispered quickly.
She waved to the crowd as she returned backstage to their applause. Blake behind her, looking clearly caught off guard.
•
"This is nice." Blake commented as he followed Blair and her parents through the entrance to Victor's.
"They only picked it because it's the most expensive place in town. My mom has a thing about appearances." Blair mumbled back to him, not wanting to be overheard.
Snobby.
That was the first word that came to mind when Blake was introduced to Blair's parents. Her mother was clothed in an expertly tailored black dress, covered by a cream coat that gave off an aura of class and dignity. Her facial expressions and tone however, gave off feelings of hostility and disappointment. Suddenly he was beginning to see why Blair had very little contact with her parents. He hurt for her, he couldn't imagine his family life being so nonexistent.
He hoped that he would be able to keep the dark sides of himself reigned in during their dinner. He had a ridiculously low tolerance for arrogant, elitist, assholes.
"So Blake," Blair's mother started after they'd been seated and ordered drinks. He felt Blair's small hand rest on his thigh under the table. Her grip was strong, clearly worried to hear whatever her mother was about to say. "Your band drew quite a crowd tonight. How long have you been together."
He relaxed slightly, as did Blair's grip on his thigh, glad the topic of conversation chosen was something relatively comfortable for him to talk about. He tried to liken it to an interview with the band, instead of an interrogation by his new girlfriend's highbrow parents.
"We've been a band for about six years and we signed with Tidal a little over five years ago."
"That's surprising longevity for a boy band." Her father said and Blake had to stifle a laugh. A boy band? They thought Paper Parachute was a boy band? They had crowd surfers and mosh pits nightly. Sure their newer stuff erred more on the pop side of the spectrum, but they weren't exactly pulling in the same crowd that One Direction used to, nothing against them. They had been great in their lane, just as Paper Parachute was great in their own.
"Well, we aren't a boyband." Blake said flatly.
The conversation died and he felt a little guilty for his remark. Blair didn't seem too bothered by the fact that things were so awkward and that worried him more than the lack of smalltalk.
They ordered and ate without much more talk than was absolutely necessary, only after dinner did her father finally make another attempt at conversation.
"So Blair, now that you've gone and done this whole singing thing to get it out of your system when are you returning home? You're a shoo in for Vanderbilt, you could probably still get in for the fall semester."
Blake couldn't stop the befuddled look that crossed his face. What the fuck were they talking about? She had just signed a contract with a major record label and they thought she was going to come home? For what?
He turned his head quickly to look at Blair, wondering if there was something he didn't know but she looked about as confused as he did. He extended his arm under the table, taking her hand in his from where it had been resting on his thigh. An added measure of reassurance.
"I—I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm not coming back."
"Well of course you are. We get it, you wanted to run off and do your own thing, sew wild oats and chase this silly dream. How wonderful that you did find some success. But it's time for you to come home now and get on with your real life. Starting with attending Vandy and getting your pre-law degree like we've always talked about."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Blair said, showing little emotion. "Here I thought you guys would actually come to my show, at least pretend to be supportive parents, eat dinner and go home, but no. I should have known. I really don't know why I wasn't expecting it and I definitely don't need this. Blake, we're going." She said sharply and he rose beside her, grabbing her coat and holding it open for her as she slid her arms through the sleeves.
"Blair Margaret Andrews, we have stayed silent while you ran off to LA, doing God knows what, with lord knows who. We didn't say a word when you didn't reach out to us after we raised you for eighteen years, giving you anything you could have wanted. Or when you turned up in town, on tour, dragging around whoever you say he is, some no good punk, and you will not walk away from us!" Her mother said sternly, waving her finger around wildly.
"That's just it." Blair replied calmly. Years of disappointment in her parents giving her the ability to be numb. "You stayed silent. The phone works both ways mother. I'm an adult, I'll do as I please and you are surely mistaken about Blake. He's one of the best people I've ever known. Unlike you, he cares about me. At least enough to know who I am." She turned to Blake, "Let's just go."
"You little ungrateful bitch, after all we did for you." Her mother rising to her feet and practically shouting at her was the most surprising part of their dinner. Elena wasn't one to make a scene.
"Do not speak to her that way." Blake growled enunciating every word as he leaned threateningly towards Blair's mother.
"She's my daughter and I'll speak to her as I wish." Elena said, never blinking and moving dangerously close to Blake.
"Yeah, well she's my girlfriend and you are seriously testing my self control right now." He spat, the vein in his neck prominent and throbbing.
"Blake, it's not that serious. She's not even worth it. I don't know why I dragged you here, hell, why I even bothered to come. Come on." She tugged at his arm and her touch was the only thing that stopped him from flying into a fit of rage. He couldn't believe her own mother could be so vile to her.
He gripped her hand tightly as they walked out of the restaurant Blake handing the waiter enough cash to cover the bill and a tip.
Blair shook her head.
"My parents treat you like absolute shit, show you exactly who they really are and you still cover their dinner. That's probably what they wanted to be honest, golddi-"
"They're still your parents Blair and I wanted to make a good impression, which obviously failed. I hate that that's how they treat you. I'm so sorry if that's what it's always been like for you."
"I'm used to it, it's fine. I want to go home—well, I want to go to the bus."
An: so her parents?
What about Blake's reaction to them?
How do you think her parents will play in to the rest of the story?
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