A/N: AU, Future. All you need to know is Dan and Blair are friends of Nate, but do NOT know each other. They are seniors in college—Nate and Blair attend Columbia.

Title credit goes to Sarabrowncolorado. It was too perfect not to use. And I'm going to go ahead and consider her my sort-of beta. Sara, you are a very talented writer and reader, so thanks so much as always. Also thanks to my new reader-friend and cheerleader Marlie.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gossip Girl or any of its characters.

"Nice to see you're putting that watch to good use," Blair said one late August day, not hiding her sarcasm in the slightest. "We were supposed to meet twenty-three minutes ago Nathaniel. I gave you that watch for a reason." She handed him the cup she was holding. "Your coffee's cold; it's your—"

"My own fault," Nate finished, still catching his breath. "Yeah, I know. Practice ran late. It's pre-season, sorry," he shrugged, cringing at the taste of cold coffee. He tossed it in the garbage can and linked arms with Blair to lead her down the sidewalk. "And how are you doing today Blair?"

She sighed. "Fine. Ever since Serena left I've actually been able to get things accomplished."

He chuckled and reached for her coffee. "Like what?" he asked, before taking a sip.

She glared at him and took her drink back. "Picking up my books for classes, going to bed at a normal hour, staying home at night instead of going to a club."

Nate smiled; Serena was always the wild one. "And how are your quiet nights at home?" He knew what her answer would be, since she seemed to constantly complain about it.

She sighed. "Too quiet. Dorota barely works now that Aleksandar's arrived, Mother and Cyrus hardly come home anymore, and now S is back at Brown. I cannot imagine not living in the Penthouse, but it feels so...empty."

"I've said this many times before, but my offer still stands," he said with a grin, stealing her coffee once again. "I could—"

"No," she said immediately. "You are not moving in."

He pulled her in tighter. "You're just saying that because you know we'll have too much fun."

She eyed him, but still smiled. "What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

He let out a breath. "Nothing much. I'm meeting Dan for a beer later, but that's about it."

She furrowed her brow. "Dan?"

Nate sighed. "Why—no matter how many times I tell you—can you never remember my friend Dan? I've talked about him before."

Her face remained unchanged.

"He's an intern at NY Mag. He had to write an article about the Columbia lacrosse team and interviewed me. Ring any bells?"

Her phone rang. "Oh. Yes, I remember," she said half-heartedly, fishing in her purse for her cell. She read the message. "I have to go Nate, but I'll talk to you later, okay?" She was already walking away. "Have fun with...Dave."

Laughing, he waved her off. "Bye."

::

"Hey man," Nate said, walking up to Dan who was already seated at the bar. "Long time no see." He slapped him on the back.

Dan gave a small smile then signaled the bartender for another beer. "Hey."

"What's goin' on?" Nate gave a nod in thanks to the bartender and took a sip.

Dan let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "You don't wanna know."

Nate laughed. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not that bad."

Shaking his head, he laughed humorlessly. "What could be worse than getting kicked out of your apartment and given one week to find a new place?"

Nate whistled. "Getting kicked out and given one day?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood. Dan didn't seem to be listening.

"Why are you getting kicked out? "

"My landlord got an offer on the building and sold it; apparently the offer was too good to pass up. The new owner is planning on knocking it down and is evicting all of us."

Nate looked confused. "That's ridiculous. I don't know a lot about real estate, but I'm pretty sure they're supposed to give you more than a week's notice."

Dan shrugged. "Whatever. A week, three weeks, I still need to find a place. Preferably before classes start."

Letting out a breath, Nate shook his head. "Sorry man. That sucks. If I meet anyone who needs a roommate, I'll let you know."

A beat passed, and then suddenly, as if an inner lightbulb went off, an idea came to him. "Oh my god," Nate said, wide-eyed. "I have the BEST idea."

Dan raised his eyebrows, waiting for him to continue.

"You should move in with Blair!" He said it as if Dan should have known all along—as if he knew her.

Dan laughed, then took a sip of his drink. "Who's Blair?"

"She's one of my oldest friends. I've known her forever; loved her forever—" He stopped once he sensed Dan's anxiety. "I don't love her anymore."

"I don't know man..." he trailed off.

More committed to the idea, Nate shook his head. "I'm telling you, she needs a roommate. Her best girl friend lives in Providence, so her current best friend is her part-time housekeeper; she recently broke up with her boyfriend of three years. She complains all the time about how quiet the house is. Quite honestly, she seems incredibly lonely, although she would rather die than admit it to anyone." He laughed to himself.

"Does she even have enough room?" Dan asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

Nate let out a loud laugh that sounded across the restaurant. "Yes, she has plenty of room...in her penthouse."

Dan choked on his beer. "Penthouse?"

"Yup."

Dan looked unconvinced, but having no other options at the moment, gave in. "If you want to run it by her, be my guest. But I have to figure out something fast."

Nate nodded and grabbed a handful of cashews, eating them in thought.

It was perfect. Blair needed someone—someone new. Someone to interact with other than minions and maids. Someone to loosen her up a bit and make her feel uncomfortable and out of her element. A roommate whom she's never met—someone like Dan—would be perfect.

Now all he had to do was convince her.

::

She knew something was up the moment she saw Nate Archibald sitting on her living room sofa, holding a box of macarons. Her eyes narrowed. "Do I want to know?" She turned and walked up the stairs. He quickly followed.

"So I have a really huge favor to ask," he nearly pleaded from her bedroom door. She hadn't even stopped to look at him.

"What is it Nate?" she said, sounding and feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

"Macaron?" he offered, holding out the box to stall his request. She ignored the treat. "Can Dan—my friend from NYU," he reminded again, "Move...into your guestroom?"

This stopped her. "Are you insane?"

"No?"

"Absolutely not," she snapped. "I don't even know one thing about him!"

Nate jumped at the opportunity. "He grew up in Hudson and lives in Brooklyn—"

She cringed.

"Blair," he said in a warning tone. "I told you before. He has a job at NY Magazine, he's in the top 5% of his class. He's a totally normal guy. I wouldn't even think about asking you if I didn't trust him. It'll only be for a few weeks."

"He's from Brooklyn."

Nate gave her a flat stare. "Seriously? That's all you got out of that?"

She shook her head and walked into her bathroom. He followed.

"Nate, I have a headache and for once, the silence of this apartment is actually immensely appealing."

Nate sighed. "Just...think about it, okay?" he asked, backing away from her and out of the room. "I'll leave these here," he said, placing the box of cookies on her dresser. He was almost out the door before her turned to her once more. "Think about it...please."

::

Goddamn Nate Archibald, Blair thought to herself as she readied for bed. Ever since their conversation earlier, his piercing blue puppy-dog eyes had been engraved in her mind. Nate rarely asked for anything and when he did, it was small. She should be able to do this one favor for him—but why did it have to be so annoying?

She pulled back her covers and sank into bed. Once she was in a comfortable position—eye mask in place—she relaxed. A moment passed before she tensed; the silence was always the worst at night. She couldn't even hear the Manhattan nightlife from outside her windows. Sighing, she pulled up the mask and reached for her cell phone, hitting the second speed dial. He picked up after two rings.

"Okay, so Brooklyn isn't as bad as it was a few years ago," she said, exasperated. "The town is on the rise."

She could practically hear his smile. "You do realize it has been for a few years, right?"

Blair smirked. "So why does he need to move again? What's wrong with his apartment?"

"His landlord is kicking him out—" She gasped. "Because he just sold it. It's being knocked down."

She was still wary. "I don't know, Nate."

He let out a tired sigh. "Blair, he needs to be out by the end of the week. He said he'll start looking for a new apartment right away. But classes start next week and you and I both know how stressful that can be—and with this eviction thing on top of it? He's in a time crunch."

She remained silent for a moment.

"Please Blair."

Silence.

"Fine."

"Ah I knew it! I knew you'd come around."

"Nate—" she warned.

He stopped gloating. "Sorry, sorry. I'll call him now and tell him. He'll move in Saturday, okay? I owe you one Blair!"

She hung up quickly and tossed her phone on the bedside table. Pulling on her eye mask once more, she succumbed to sleep wondering if she would regret this. This idea of having a roommate. And not only that, but a roommate that is from Brooklyn, goes to NYU, and is...a stranger.

A/N: Interested in more? Review please!