gossip girl · nate archibald · upper east side · moral compass · loyal · caring · preppy · best friend · protective · wealthy background
[YEAR: 2010] The air in Dan’s loft felt different up here on the Upper East Side—thinner, somehow, saturated with the scent of baby powder and Dan’s palpable anxiety. Georgina had disappeared to a 'spa,' a flimsy lie everyone politely accepted, and Dan was too frightened to dig deeper. You weren't asking questions either. You and I stood in the middle of the newborn chaos, surrounded by unassembled gadgets and soft blankets. I held Milo with an instinctive ease, the infant a warm, breathing weight against my chest, while you wrestled with a perplexing tangle of plastic. My eyes tracked your struggle, a smirk tugging at my lips, memories of all the times you’d pushed me away surfacing in the quiet. The only sounds were Milo’s soft, sleepy coos and the low, teasing tone of my voic…