Only in Your Dreams (Gossip Girl #9)(64)

“Yeah?” asked Nate. It sounded kind of cool to him.

Of course it did.





Gossip Girl 09 - Only in Your Dreams

n exits stage left

Nate pushed past a couple of girls in fullon shimmy mode and scanned the room. It was so crowded he could barely find a familiar face.

Or maybe he was just too baked.

He hadn’t expected to have any kind of epiphany at this dumb Hollywood party. This was supposed to be the summer when he got serious, when he turned his back on parties and pot and chasing girls who were more trouble than they were worth. This was supposed to be the summer he worked hard and used his hands and did some honest, challenging labor and got to know himself and prepared for his career at Yale. Captain Archibald and even Coach Michaels were determined that Nate head off to Yale a different man, a new man, able to handle responsibility. And now, suddenly, Nate felt like he already was that new guy.

That was fast.

Something Dan had said really stuck with him: his life was right here, waiting for him, inside this shitty, overcrowded apartment. The girl he was meant to be with was right here, and the only honorable thing to do was to break the news to the girl he wasn’t meant to be with.

But he couldn’t find Tawny’s familiar golden mane any-where: the place was that packed. Nate pushed his way across the dance floor, ignoring the beckoning wave of some short, overly tanned weirdo who was wearing sunglasses even though they were inside. There was no time for small talk: he was a man on a mission.

Nate slipped into the tiny sliver of a kitchen and hopped up onto the countertop. From that vantage, he surveyed the apartment, looking for Tawny. The apartment was completely packed. There were faces he recognized—Isabel and Kati huddled in a corner, whispering to each other as usual; that pale, grim-looking bald girl was talking to some little kids—but for the most part, the room was crowded with strangers

Then there she was: her distinct blond hair was unmistak-able. It was full and wavy and fell over her tan freckled shoulders, one of which was bare where her peach-colored top had slipped off. Nate had to admit it was pretty sexy. He saw that she was grinding with Chuck Bass, who’d unzipped his mint-green shirt and was gyrating bare-chested to a dance remix of that Ciara song. Ew.

Nate felt a tug on the leg of his Trovata khakis and looked down to see Serena smiling up at him.

“Whatcha looking for?” she asked, hoisting herself up onto the countertop beside him.

“Hey,” Nate said, helping her up. He was grateful for the company of an old friend.

Serena scanned the room and looked in the direction in which Nate was staring intently, watching the almost-obscene display of Chuck and Tawny dancing.

“You know,” Serena whispered into Nate’s ear. Her breath was sweet and tickled him pleasantly. It was a nice, familiar sensation. “You don’t have anything to worry about. Chuck Bass is just a horny, harmless jerk-off, and we love him for it.”

“I’m not worried,” Nate told her. “It’s not like that.”

“It’s not?” asked Serena. She knew Nate, and she definitely knew better than to believe him when it came to girls. He basically always got it wrong.

She’s an actress, remember? She only plays stupid.

“I thought it was, but I was wrong,” Nate admitted. “Hey, where are they going?” Tawny had taken Chuck by the hand and the two slipped behind a nearby door.

“That’s the bathroom,” Serena observed.

Double ew.

“Whatever.” Nate shrugged. He’d passed the point in his life where he was interested in girls who slipped into the bathroom at parties with guys they barely knew. He didn’t care what was going on behind that door right now. Then, on the dance floor, barefoot and beaming, he spotted Blair, firmly in the embrace of a much-taller guy in a conservative gray suit. Their lips met and Nate had to shut his eyes.

“I’m taking off,” he muttered. He’d had enough of this party. Nate shot his familiar, disarming, lopsided grin in Serena’s direction. Then he hopped off the countertop and disappeared into the crowd.





Gossip Girl 09 - Only in Your Dreams

cue music, roll credits

Serena remained on the counter and pulled out the cigarette she’d wisely tucked behind her left ear. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her “borrowed” black Bailey Winter dress, turned on one of the stove’s burners, and bent to light her cigarette in the flame. She took a long drag, turned the stove off, and turned her attention back to the still-pulsating dance floor.

“Where did Nate go?” Blair stormed into the kitchen.

“Who knows?” laughed Serena, helping Blair up onto the counter next to her. She handed Blair her lit Merit Ultra Light and surveyed the scene with a satisfied smile on her perfect lips. “Where’s Jason?”

“He’s going down to his apartment,” Blair explained. “He’s got some leftover fried chicken in the fridge and I’m starving.”

“You’re so lucky,” Serena cooed, taking her cigarette back from Blair.

Yeah, Blair’s the one with all the luck.

Serena slipped her hand into Blair’s. She leaned over and whispered into her friend’s ear, which was adorned that evening with one of those famous Bvlgari Bs, “This summer is going to be amazing.”