第18部分(第1/7 頁)

aware　of　howalone　they　were？and　remembered　what　had　happened　the　last　time　they？d　been　alone

together。

At　lease　she？s　wearing　soft　rubber　flip…flops。

Blair　seemed　calm　now；　but　maybe　she？d　just　been　waiting　for　Aaron　and　Tyler　to　leave。　If　that

mixer　was　plugged　in；　it　could　really　do　some　damage　to　his　face。　But；　then；　to　his　utter　relief；　she

smiled。

？Hey；　yourself；？　she　responded；　her　blue　eyes　shining。

？Natie；　I？m　glad　you　came。　I　just　wanted　to　tell　you　that　I？m　sorry　about　the　other　day。　I　got　。　。　。

carried　away。　And　I？ve　been　thinking　about　it。　We　can　totally　make　this　work。？　She　gave　his　hand

a　squeeze　and　then　dropped　the　mixer　back　on　the　shelf　with　a　loud　thump。　？You　never　know　what

surprises　the　future　may　bring。？　Nate　felt　his　body　sag　with　relief。　He　hadn？t　even　realized　how

tense　he？d　been。

？Let？s　go　to　Bedroom。？　Blair　suggested。　Then　she　giggled。　？I　said　to　bedroom；　not　to　bed。　Don？t

get　your　hopes　up；　horndog。？　She　turned　on　her　heel　and　started　walking　down　the　gleaming　white

aisle；　an　extra　flirtatious　swish　in　her　step。

Nate　bent　down　and　picked　up　the　massive　laundry　bin　stuffed　with　carefully　selected

items。　？Seriously；　Blair；　why　do　you　need　all　this　stuff？　Where　are　you　going　to　put　it？？　he　asked

when　he？d　caught　up　with　her；　his　arms　sagging　under　the　bin？s　weight。　Suddenly　he　remembered

the　description　of　hell　in　Dante？sInferno　from　eleventh…grade　English　class。　There　were　different

circles　of　hell；　and　everyone　suffered　according　to　their　crimes。　Was　carrying　the　leaden　bin　his

penance　for　sleeping　with　Serena？　Was　he　doomed　to　carry　that　guilt　for　all　eternity？

The　Curse　of　the　Container　Store？