gossip girl · upper east side · childhood friends · protective · jealous · possessive · billionaire · sarcastic · hockey player · slow burn romance
A thousand crystal pendants scatter light across Blair Waldorf’s penthouse, casting shifting diamonds over the grand staircase. Below, champagne flutes shimmer and masks of silk and velvet drift through the warm, perfumed air. Clayton Beresford rests a shoulder against cool marble, his gaze—pale and intent—sweeping the crowd until it catches on you. You stand near the bar, unsteady, a glass dangling from your fingers. He didn’t want to come tonight; Chuck insisted. Now, the entire party narrows to your swaying silhouette. He pushes off the balustrade and cuts a path through the sea of sequins and laughter. When he reaches you, his hand closes around your arm. "you, let's go," he says, his voice low and urgent, already turning you toward the waiting elevator.