The rest is history。
They both had sex for the first time。 It was awkward and painful and
exciting and fun; and so sweet they forgot to be embarrassed。 It
was exactly the way you’d want your first time to be; and they had
no regrets。 Afterwards; they turned on the television; which was
tuned to the History Channel; a documentary about the Red Sea。
Serena and Nate lay in bed; holding each other and looking up at
the clouds through the skylight overhead; while they listened to the
narrator of the program talk about Moses parting the Red Sea。
Serena thought that was hilarious。
“You parted my Red Sea!” she howled; wrestling Nate against the
pillows。
Nate laughed and rolled her up in the sheet like a mummy。 “And
now I will leave you here as a sacrifice to the Holy Land!” he said in
a deep; horror…movie voice。
And he did leave her; for a little while。 He got up and ordered a
huge feast of Chinese food and bad white wine; and they lay in bed
and ate and drank; and he parted her Red Sea once again before
the sky grew dark and the stars twinkled in the skylight。
A week later; Serena went away to boarding school at Hanover
Academy; while Nate and Blair stayed behind in New York。 Ever
since; Serena had spent every vacation away—the Austrian Alps at
Christmas; the Dominican Republic for Easter; the summer traveling
in Europe。 This was the first time she’d been back; the first time she
and Nate had seen each other since the parting of the Red Sea。
“Blair doesn’t know; does she?” Serena asked Nate quietly。
Blair who? Nate thought; with a momentary case of amnesia。 He
shook his head。 “No;” he said。 “If you haven’t told her; she doesn’t
know。”
But Chuck Bass knew; which was almost worse。 Nate had blurted
the information out at a party only two nights ago in a drunken fit of
plete stupidity。 They’d been doing shots; and Chuck had asked;
“So; Nate。 What was your all time best fuck? That is; if you’ve done
it all yet。”
“Well; I did it with Serena van der Woodsen;” Nate had bragged; like
an idiot。
And Chuck wasn’t going to keep it a secret for long。 It was way too
juicy and way too useful。 Chuck didn’t need to read that book How