Only in Your Dreams (Gossip Girl #9)(46)

Nate frowned, then draped an arm around Tawny, pulling her even closer. “I don’t know.” He shrugged.

“I’m Tawny,” the girl said, leaning across Nate’s lap and smiling in Anthony’s direction.

“What’s up?” Anthony nodded in greeting. “Anthony.”

“You two know each other from school?” she wanted to know.

“Yeah,” Anthony responded. “How do you two know each other?”

Nate signaled to the waitress. He needed another drink, immediately.

“Nate just fell at my feet one day,” Tawny replied, draining the last of her cocktail. “I guess I’m just lucky.”

Anthony studied her, then yelled at Nate, “You’re the lucky one, bastard.”

The waitress approached, looking exactly like Jessica Simpson playing Daisy in The Dukes of Hazzard. “Another round?” she asked.

“Please,” Nate told her. If Anthony was going to ask him any more questions, he’d need to get a stronger buzz on.

“I haven’t seen you around the city,” Anthony continued. “Where do you go to school?”

“Oh, I’m not from the city,” Tawny explained. “I live in Hampton Bays.”

“Cool,” Anthony exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a townie before.”

Nate jabbed Anthony roughly with his elbow.

“What?” Anthony demanded. “It’s cool. No offense, man.”

“What?” asked Tawny, cupping her palm over her ear. “It’s so loud!”

“Dude,” Anthony continued, oblivious. “Isabel is having a party tomorrow. I heard Serena’s going to be there. You seen her lately?”

The last time Nate had seen Serena, he’d been kissing Jenny at Blair’s graduation party. It was just a “for old times’ sake” kiss, but he was pretty sure she and Blair had bonded over how mad at him they were.

What else is new?

Nate shook his head. He felt completely out of touch with all the people he’d grown up with.

“Wait, Serena?” asked Tawny excitedly, leaning across Nate’s lap. From this vantage he had an unobstructed view down her blouse to her pierced navel and could see everything in between. “As in, Serena with the foreign-sounding last name?”

She leaned further forward, giving Nate another glimpse of the Promised Land.

Is she doing that on purpose? Nate wondered.

Nate glanced at Anthony to make sure he wasn’t sneaking a peek as well, but he’d turned to talk to some dark-haired beauty Nate vaguely remembered went to Grafton and was a year younger than them.

“I guess so,” Nate allowed, enjoying Tawny’s surprised expression. Did Serena’s name sound foreign? He’d never noticed. But forget Serena—Tawny was clearly impressed. He didn’t feel that way often; girls thought he was cute or cool or popular or whatever, but she was looking at him with something he’d never really seen in Blair or Serena’s eyes. She looked ... awed.

“We kind of used to see each other,” Nate bragged. That was the truth, but it didn’t quite cover it.

“Nate Archibald!” Tawny cried, leaning across the table once more, pushing her breasts together invitingly. “You are such a mystery man.”

“You know Serena, too?” Anthony leaned back into the conversation, clearly trying to get a sneak peek down Tawny’s shirt. “There’s going to be some kind of blowout when that movie wraps in a couple days. You should totally come!” he yelled over the booming music.

“You mean Breakfast at Fred’s?” Tawny looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. “I am, like, Thaddeus Smith’s number one fan. Ever!”

The waitress returned with their drinks and Nate grabbed his greedily.

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. All of a sudden he felt like he was treading water in a really dark, deep pool. His thinking was a little cloudy from a pre-going-out joint and the three beers, but even in that state he knew it wasn’t such a great idea to show up at Serena’s wrap party with Tawny on his arm. Blair would definitely be there, and he didn’t want her to think that he’d already moved on.

But hadn’t he? And hadn’t she?

“Please,” Tawny begged. “I’d die to meet Thaddeus Smith.

Die!” “Dude,” Anthony teased. “Can’t say no to a pretty girl.” Nate Archibald never could never say no. Period.





Gossip Girl 09 - Only in Your Dreams

b takes charge

The bang of the slammed door echoed off the walls of the underfurnished apartment. It was hard to stomp in angrily after climbing all those stairs—and in rubber flip-flops, no less—but Serena did her best, stomping on the wood floor, dropping her oversize white leather Jil Sander duffel without a thought for the iPod Nano and glass Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses inside.

“You home, roomie?” Blair called from inside the apartment’s one bedroom, which they’d decided to share. They were basically sisters anyway.

They certainly fought like they were.

“Yeah,” Serena called back. She grabbed a Corona from the fridge and perched on the windowsill overlooking the back of the town house, her feet dangling out of the window over the fire escape.