Coffee and Croissants

Chapter 17

What. The. Fuck? She had a boyfriend. How had that not come up? It wasn't like Dan had assumed she had been single. No, he had pointedly asked her who she was close with in Paris and what she did on weekends. Two perfect opportunities. Instead, she hadn't said a thing. Letting him make a fool of himself by basically acting like a couple all weekend. They had even slept together.

He replayed it. Her being kissed on the cheek by him and then his hand resting on the small of her backs the way only a protective boyfriend would do. The panic in her eyes as she led him away betrayed her attempt at acting like it was no big deal. What the hell did she plan to do? Tell him he was just a friend?

He had two hours until his next class. An evening one that would go until 6. So many more hours on this campus. He needed a drink. He needed to wipe it all from his mind.

The next five hours passed painfully slowly. At 6, she had texted him. "Outside your classroom, where are you?" Ignored it, already on his way home.

He was relieved once he was finally home. He opened a beer and room several large gulps. He wasn't sure if he was more mad at her or himself.

Either way, it was clear. He had to get over her. Moving here had been a mistake but it was too late. He would have to make the best of a bad situation.

At 6:30, he heard a knock on his door. He didn't have to go look to know who it was. Again, he ignored it. She pleaded for him to open.

"Dan please let me explain!"

Still he ignored her. Her persistent knocking began to worry him though she would alert his neighbors to the drama.

"Fine, I'll just have to explain through the door."

Fuck, he would have to let her in if he didn't want to whole floor to hear this.

Reluctantly he opened the door and let her in. She wasn't immaculate like she usually was. Instead, her hair looked out of place and she looked less polished.

"You have two minutes Blair. I only let you in so my neighbors didn't have to hear your excuses. I don't need to hear any explanation. I saw it all and don't want to hear it."

"No, please Dan. Just listen. It's not what you think."

"I highly doubt that." He said while glaring at her. "I just can't believe you Blair. I gave you so many opportunities to tell me you had a boyfriend. Instead, you let me make a fool of myself by spending a whole entire weekend with you trying to win you back when you were already taken."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"It definitely looked like he is."

"He's not. I mean, we're just dating." She stammered.

"That's your big explanation? That you're 'just dating'? How is that any better?" He said incredulously.

"I don't have feelings for him, we aren't in a relationship."

"Blair, I saw you and him. You looked like a couple. He treated you like a girlfriend."

"Well I'm not his girlfriend! I know I should've told you I was dating someone. I'm so sorry. I made a mistake, I'm sorry." Her eyes pleaded with him.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I didn't want to ruin our perfect weekend!"

"So you let me sleep with you... And what about the weekend before?"

"I don't know." She sounded exasperated. "I sort of forgot about him. I haven't even seen him really since seeing you. The night when I first saw you, I was supposed to be meeting with him. I forgot him Dan, all I could think about with you. Isn't that enough?"

"No. I think you should leave. Forgetting him isn't good enough explanation. You should go try to salvage things before he finds out about me like I did. I'm guessing he doesn't know."

"Not yet."

"Seriously Blair?" He couldn't believe her.

"I'm telling him! Tomorrow! I'm breaking it off."

"Don't do that on my account. Don't expect just because you stop seeing him I'll forgive you. I won't." He said it so bitterly, his words burned her.

"Never?" She had tears welling in her eyes now. "You won't even be my friend anymore?"

"We were never friends Blair." He said it so harshly, her reaction was palpable. She took a step back.

"That's not true." She said sadly.

He pressed on, "It is. We were enemies and then we were more, nothing in between. Certainly not friendship. Not then and not now. So leave Blair." He knew he was being cruel and the second he saw her face crumble before him, he wished he could take it back.
She turned away from him and walked out the door fast enough that he couldn't see the tears fall down her face, he could only hear the sound of her sobs. The sobs he had caused.

He felt sick.