This AU sets after season 1.

Things to focus on are:

Chuck did not leave Blair waiting at the airport.

Serena always had feelings for Nate but she tried not to focus on them until now.

Dan was just an excuse not to think about Nate.

This is the outcome of how I imagined Serenate to be after Season 1. I hope people find it relatable and support this fic. It won't be a long one, I think I don't know. And updates may be irregular; I have classes going on side by side. I'll try and update once in a week or 10 days.

CHAPTER 1

"Maybe we can reflect together.'

She asks and who was he to tell her a no? He has never said never to her. It doesn't matter that agreeing to everything she says may hurt him, but he could never deny to her. She said she didn't come back for him, he accepted. She said to stay with Blair, he stayed. No matter how much it hurt him every time she rejected him, every time she chose someone else over him. He would go running to her on just one call. She was his world and he was nothing more than a friend to her.

He wanted to be more than that but with time and her constantly denying him he has learned to mask his feelings for her and pretend that she is just her friend. A friend, for whom he cares a lot and will do anything for, just like right now when she offered that they should spend summers together he couldn't deny and now they are sitting in their (her) favorite café and drinking their (her) favorite coffee. Everything is her in his life.

"So to where should we go-" She starts and he is pulled out of his daydreaming. "-to, you know start reflecting." She says it with a tease in her voice and laughs at herself. He mirrors her laugh.

"I don't know. Maybe we can go to Hamptons and relax and swim." He suggests shrugging. Honestly, he doesn't know anything nowadays. His life has been one giant mess and he doesn't know how to solve it or even escape it. Serena's offer came out as an escape from it and he took it. And then its Serena one person he can never say no to and he missed her too much in these two years that this came as a perfect opportunity.

"No, Natie, we always do that. Let's do something different. Let's go sailing like you always wanted when we were fourteen." She beamed like she right now has suggested the world's most perfect plan. Nate was lost again, twice, first when she called him with his nick-name which she gave him and only she calls him that and second when she suggested that they do something which he wanted, they never do what he wants at least not since two years ago and she remembers.

"I don't know, Serena, I want to do that but.." He leaves the sentence trailing thinking maybe she'd understand what even he is trying to say by not saying it.

"No, we will go sailing. This will be a good experience we can go to places and have fun, just you and me." She has already started dreaming of her life in waters and then she mentioned you and me, just you and me, and nothing else matter now. But they cannot go sailing. His boat has been auctioned and the buyer didn't want to sell it back.

"Serena, I don't own Charlotte anymore and I wanted to go sailing on Charlotte." He tightened his jaw so she won't see how much this news still hurts him.

"Oh." She says not knowing what else to say. She knows how much he loved his boat. "Okay, then we can go on a road trip?" She tries to cheer up their surrounding "Oh! Yes, yes we are definitely going road-tripping." She announces it and he agrees because he never says never to her.

xxx

"Serena?" He calls out. It was early in the morning and they decided if they were to really go, and put this plan into motion then they have to start early morning so their private jet lands in early and they can get enough rest before they hit the road. They were going to Brazil.

He walks to her room and knocks on her door. Nobody answered so he peeps in to see if everything was subtle before he enters. Serena was still under her covers when he got in.

"Serena." He called her and pushed her little so she would wake instead she pulled him with her inside her bed and snuggled into his arms. She was drooling and Nate thought maybe she is having some beautiful dream about something or someone which is making her smile wide even in her dreams.

"Natie, can we do those Titanic poses, please." She speaks in a sleepy voice. She was still sleeping and she called out his name. It was overwhelming and he was getting numerous thoughts about what is she particularly dreaming about. Nate tried to put himself, his thoughts, and her words together. She was drooling and dreaming about them and wanted to do those romantic Titanic poses but they weren't going on a sail they were going to Brazil and then wander around on roads.

"Where will we do that?" He asks to get a better picture of what she was dreaming about.

"Natie, right here see the view of the valley from here. It is so pretty." And she was replying to his questions. This was a lot to process. Serena Van der Woodsen is dreaming about doing romantic poses with Nate Archibald. He looks at her once again with a gigantic smile stuck on his face. This trip will be fun, he thought to himself.

"Will you snap out of your dreams so that we can go and make some memories?" He shakes her. They have been planning this trip for a week now. All the places they needed to go and the route they will be taking.

"Just five minutes more. I promise." She says now waking up but still under some sleeping spell. Nate starts to get out when she pulls him back. "Where do you think you are going?" she snaps and pulls herself closer to him and lays half atop his chest. "Stay here with me for five minutes, please." She pleads and he stays.

xxx

"You understand we will be tripping from city to city in a car?" He mocks her looking at the number of bags she has packed. They are supposed to travel light and her luggage is everything but light.

"Please, Nate. I need these kinds of stuff. This is me, traveling light." She argued.

"No, Serena. You don't need all this stuff. Let me help you." He says and opens all of her bags. After a lot of permutations and combinations, they managed to get down to two big bags and two small bags and her skincare kit. Serena smiled at his maturity and kissed him on his cheek.

xxx

"Can you believe we have to wait for three long hours before we can take off?" Serena screams sitting next to him.

"Thanks to your morning five minutes more and your wardrobe size of luggage." Nate mimics her tone.

Serena looks at him with her mouth hanging. This was new. "Don't say that." Nate laughs at Serena when his phone rings, it's his grandfather and he gets up to go and talk to him.

Serena looks at his retreating figure and thinks about how much Nate has changed over last year. She used to think that he was someone who would agree with everything she says and never retort. Wasn't that the case until last year, but then they hadn't connected much since she came back. She had been involved with Dan and him first with Blair and then with Vanessa and then he had family issues too. He has become more mature ever since.

Serena never asked him how he was doing after his father's arrest and his family practically losing everything only to be saved by his grandfather. She never asked and he never told. He never tells anybody about his problems. He is kind of reserved when it comes to problems in his life. Chuck has been the only one who could crack into him and know things and this fact kind of hurts.

She looks at him, he seemed like he was having some serious conversation, and then slowly his expressions change from serious to soft and when he hangs up he had a smile. He smiles very less nowadays. He tries to but it never reaches his eyes anymore. He tries to act normal and smile when he is around people. He would pretend that he is happy and all but he isn't. She can see that. Serena looks away from him when he looks at her. She knows that she is one of the reasons why he is now into this pretend business and she knows that only she can make him drop this veil and be his old self again.

"What are you thinking, S?" Nate asks once again sitting beside her.

She looks at him and says "Let's go shop while our plane is getting ready." Her eyes glitter and he rolls his.

xxx

"Oh, my god, Nate, we are finally ready to fly." Serena was squealing with excitement beside Nate. They have buckled up and just five minutes away from departure.

"Yes, Serena, Thirteen hours and we'll be in Brazil." Nate reflects her zeal.

Serena had her right arm was entwined with Nate's left one and her head was settled on his shoulder. She was taking deep breaths while watching different shapes of clouds as they pass. Nate was reading a business magazine, and Serena looked at him from time to time through the periphery of her eyes. Their resting position was like that of a happy couple, she liked it.

After some time she snatched Nate's magazine and tosses it away in the air, Nate looks at her amazed. "Talk to me, Natie." She says lovingly and concerned and childishly, all at the same time.

"Talk about what, Serena?" He puts his hand over hers and his head over her head.

"About how are you and everything else, just tell me what I have missed." She says now concerned.

"Everything is fine, S, and I was feeling a little low after what all happened with my Dad and my family and I needed a getaway." He lets her in on very minute detail of his life she wanted to know more. But she won't pressure him, at least not right now.

"Okay." She knew she had the time and she will have him tell her everything that has been bothering him.

"Okay, so what's the plan when we get there?" He changes the topic to bring in some excitement in this suddenly serious environment.

"We'll go to our hotel room and rest for some time and then we can go wandering around the city and on day 3 our road trip will officially begin." She tells him the same thing which they have discussed 10 times in the past week. He says "okay." listening to the dry tone of her voice. And then they talk about some random things and gossip about their school.

"I am sleepy, Nate. And you're sleeping with me." Serena snuggles close into Nate's arm. The armrest between them was already thrown back. "Learn it, Archibald; this is how we are going to be spending all our summer." She says almost sleepy and Nate smiles wondering what can be the possible meaning to this statement.

xxx

"Serena" Nate calls her name very softly. She was still sleeping in his arms. For Nate, he hardly slept. Serena was sleeping so close into his arms and he was conflicting not to let his feeling supersede their friendship because friends were all they are. "We are here." He adds sweetly.

"We are in Sao Paulo?" She asks, her eyes are still shut but she is waking up.

"Yes, wake up, S; you can fall asleep once we reach our hotel."

"Yes, yes."

After Serena has woken up Nate and she walks out the plane, their luggage was already taken away and they went straight to finish their airport formalities. After they were done they hopped into their already booked cab and headed to their hotel situated in the middle of Sao Paulo city. It was evening when they landed and all they needed at that moment was a comfy bed so they could crash right into it.

Nate completed their hotel check-in necessities while Serena got their luggage settle in their room. They have booked a single room because they decided this summer they'll try to spend less money on a luxury. Nate came in a few minutes later completing all the formalities.

"Coffee?" Serena asked him. He looked tired and she thought maybe coffee could help. He nodded while settling on one side of the bed. He removed his shoes and sweatshirt and settled himself inside the covers and Serena made him a coffee.

"Nate?" When she turned with their coffees he was already asleep. Serena left their mugs on the table and settled herself beside him on the bed. She wasn't sleepy but laying by his side felt soothing. She noticed his facial features. His expressions were soft. His forehead was covered with his ruffled hair and before Serena could even think her right hand was already tugging his hair back. Nate pulled her close to him, her hands around his waist and her head on his chest, his one hand held her in his arms and his other hand was over hers, fingers tangled together. Serena closed her eyes listening to his heart beating. She didn't sleep but laid still because it felt so good and right.