chapter TWENTYTWO.

The painful lump in Serena's throat remained all through her travel from Brooklyn back to Manhattan, even as the doors of the large glass elevator at The Palace Hotel slid shut and swept her up to her and her family's hotel suite. The room was piled high with boxes, some that hadn't been unpacked yet and some that had been taped shut and were waiting for their arrival at the Bass home, where Lily and the rest of the van der Woodsens would be moving to promptly.

Serena still couldn't believe how quickly her mother and Bartholomew had gotten married; just the thought made her feel even worse for breaking Rufus and Lily up. And the way their engagement had gone from very off to very on - even leading to marriage in just a few days - made Lily and Bart's relationship seem even more permanant, like it was far too late for anyone else in their lives and like they'd be bound together forever.

She now felt sick inside for being so selfish. She'd never intended for there to have to be a choice between her and Dan or her mother and Rufus - she just hadn't had a clue how important they were to each other until now.

Unlocking the door to their suite and throwing it open, Serena stepped inside only to be met immediately by the sight of Dan laying on one of the couches, facing the door with a welcoming smile on his face, his fingers intertwined and resting on his chest while his ankles remained crossed as he lay there. "Dan? What are you doing here?" she asked, forcing a smile upon her face and shoving all sadness aside for the time being, willing herself not to cry.

He looked confused for a moment and sat up, swinging his legs to the side of the couch and letting them meet the carpet. "O-kay, not exactly the reaction I was hoping for." He chuckled nervously and patted the seat beside him. "Is something wrong?"

Serena took a shaky breath, shrugged off her coat, and tossed her bag to the floor, wringing her hands worriedly and taking a seat next to Dan. But rather than sitting directly beside to him, she sat on the couch across from his. She couldn't bring herself to look up and meet his eyes, though. The lump remained, even more painful now.

Dan tried to lock eyes with her in that intense way they once used to, but hers were trained intently on the coffee table that seperated them. She seemed to be avoiding his expecting eyes.

"Serena? Serena, what's wrong?"

The blonde closed her eyes, feeling the tears even as they seeped out from her eyelids and down her cheeks. Dan noticed them too and he leaned over the table to touch her hand, only to have Serena move away from him. "Dan, I. . . I don't think we should be together anymore." Her head was hung even lower now, making it impossible for him to see her face. Her tone, however, was hoarse and sad and what she'd voiced was met only with silence.

Dan leaned back against the couch, clearly shocked. Did she just say what he thought she said?

"What?"

Serena hesitated for a moment. "I said I think we should. . . We should take some time off, Dan."

He swallowed hard and shook his head. "I heard you. But why?"

This time she was the one offering nothing but silence to the conversation and Dan felt his face heating up, a combination of humiliation, anger, and sadness. "I came here to surprise you because we haven't seen eachother in two days. . . And what I get in return is a break up?" He scoffed.

Serena felt like her heart had been carved out of her chest with a dull knife and tossed into the garbage can. She heard him getting up, about to leave, and she lifted her chin. "Dan, wait. You need to understand wh--"

"'Bye, Serena," he said, his voice quavering slightly. He slammed the door to the hotel suite shut as he exited the room. As soon as he'd gone, Serena began sobbing full-on, walking over to the couch he'd been laying on and crying into one of the throw pillows. Pain had consumed her and she was so confused she thought her head might implode. Was she right in breaking them up? Would he hate her forever after she'd been so cruel to him?

She wouldn't be surprised.


Spotted: S crying her eyes out and D throwing the flowers out. We hear love is cruel, and someone always gets hurt in the end. . . If anyone could do it, I would have expected D and S to be the ones able to prove us wrong on that one. But I guess even I was wrong this time. :(

you know you love me.
xoxo; gossip girl