screw him.

"I mean a new bombshell has entered the villa so," he told her with a laugh and smoothed over his shirt, doing a little spin for her. "Nah, I'm the last thing she's thinking about today. I honestly haven't seen her smile this much since her first number one single," he admitted. "Just further proof that time is like the best and worst ally." He was smiling despite being so pensive, mostly because he had made Blair laugh and he was sure this was the most he had seen her smile too. Most of the time they were either hanging out on his couch, at the rec center or he was finding his way to her desk at her corporate job. This felt al little different, like they were somehow having a little more fun than usual and he was grateful for it. It could have also been the tequila talking because damn the bartender had a good but heavy hand.

"Now what you know about Love Island?" She asked Leo, shocked that he knew said reference. When she thought of Leo, she didn't quite picture him sat for the hijinks of 20's somethings trying to find love off on an island. Blair scrunched her nose, shaking her head. As she didn't quite believe that. Weddings were all about the start of a new chapter in one's live, but she couldn't believe that didn't come with some introspective of all you've endured to get to said chapter. Now she didn't know all the in's and out's of what Leo and Colette had been through, but she knew one thing for sure. She definitely still had love for him, you didn't just invite your exes to your wedding unless you did. "Well, to time, then, huh?" She said, raising her cocktail up before tapping it against the glass of his.

"I appreciate that, the night is young so I'm sure I'll find something soon, like some of these outfit choices. Where did these people think they were going? This is a wedding, not a fucking club," he mumbled, glancing at the crowd for a moment. If there was a fashion police panel for this wedding, he'd definitely be on it. "Well yeah, that's too. The last thing we want is to encourage her wrath on such a lovely day. "Yeah, yeah bullshit. You look beautiful, Blair. Don't this little ol thing me, you read the moment well and you delivered." He smiled as he smoothed down his tie. "Why thank you, it's actually a new suit. I figured I wanted to look really good in the pictures from this thing." It would definitely be going to some newspaper and Leo did actually care about his reputation now that he was both a dancer and teacher.

"The claws are out, honey." Blair said with a low 'oooh' as she looked in the direction Leo's shade was being thrown. "In the same regard, don't yeah yeah, bullshit me, Leo." She let him know right back, laughter spilling from her with each passing word. The compliment from him only made her grin grow brighter, she certainly felt beautiful but it was nice to know she'd fulfilled her duties as plus one. "Is it? Well you've certainly got your money's worth on that bad boy." She let him know, taking in the sight of him. Leo was hot, full stop. She could acknowledge that, her friends certainly wouldn't let her forget it but the suit certainly upped that factor. "I think you're surely going to be one of the talking points once this all ends up in the paper." She teased. "Do you think Colette will rip your head off for that?"

"The signature drink isn't bad either, I mean I wanted to be a hater just a little bit but I'm finding it hard," he admitted, his expression reading as annoyed but he shook it away. There was no reason for him to hold onto bitterness. It all filled him with nostalgia but it also filled him with the same confusion around his life that he had felt so viscerally then. "Well yeah, they tend to have that affect on people. Ray lives for this shit. I'm surprised he was able to stop himself from interrupting the ceremony just for shits and giggles." He let out a laugh at the social battery remark, feeling that heavily but he was enjoying this outing and not itching to get back him to his dog and his bed. "That dress really suits you by the way," he told her as he looked at her before leading them to the bar. It wasn't like Leo hadn't noticed before but it occurred to him that he hadn't been as present when he picked her up earlier that afternoon, having been too nervous about entering this space, not totally trusting his own emotions. But he was calmer now, the drinks and the joint he had smoked with one of Colette's cousins had were doing wonders for his nerves. "Yeah I got pretty lucky with them, but don't tell them I said that out loud.

"Oh, if you want to be a hater, you know you came to the right girl." Blair let Leo know, stopping them in their tracks. "Just say the word and I'll help you find something to hate on in here." She said, laughter spilling from her before they continued their way to the bar. "Or maybe he knew that your homegirl would have ripped his head off, had he." Blair didn't know too much about Colette but what she did know was that she was not one to be messed with. She was as talented as she was feisty. "This? Don't you start, I pulled this out from way back in my closet. I completely forgot I even had it." She said, jokingly as she'd clearly put some thought and care into what she looked like that day. Being a plus one came with a lot of pressures, add that to being the plus one of the ex-boyfriend. She was already fearing the awkwardness that would come from when she came face to face with the bride and groom, but she would help qualm it with her usual Blair sense of humor. "But thank you." She looked down at her dress, before looking back up at him. "You don't look half bad, yourself. Very cover of GQ, actually." She returned the compliment. "You really did. Not all of us have this great a support system." Blair said, as that was certainly something he could be really happy about today. "So, I need a bit of a rundown on who's who. I've got the bride and groom, of course. Ray and Day, the best couple to ever be a couple in Rosewood. Anyone else?"

"Oh no, I've had like enough empanadas for five people," he admitted with a laugh as he patted his stomach. The day had been nicer than he had expected but that hadn't made him feel any less awkward. When he was a teenager he had thought so much about this moment with Colette but standing here now, he was starting to realize just how far he was from that time now. "I think we should do another drink though," he said, smiling fully now as he looked at her, genuinely grateful for her concern. "I'm good actually. I gotta admit it's pretty nice to see her happy. I always knew she'd make a great bride," he admitted with a shrug before holding out his arm for Blair to take. "You been having fun mingling? I think you might even be giving your brother a run for his money."

"I can't even fault you for that, they are just that good." Blair let him know, happy to be by Leo's plus one for what was turning out to be the wedding of the year. Now you wouldn't know this at first glance but Blair loved weddings. Loved them. Not so much the idea of having to plan one of her own, but she loved attending them. "We should definitely do another. Shit, we should do two." She encouraged him, happy to see him in such high spirits. He was certainly stronger than most people she knew, as she wasn't so sure she'd be able to show face at an ex's wedding. But from what she'd gathered, Colette and Leo were okay. Their love ever changing and that was pretty dope to see. "A wedding dress really does suit her." She nodded, taking a hold of his arm. "I've been having a time. Ray and Day might soon become my favorite people, actually." Blair laughed, having enjoyed Ray's commentary over the event. "Now, I don't know about all of that. I definitely charged my social battery just for this event, but you do have really dope friends. It's not hard to enjoy their company."

Blair's energy was infectious and it made the time more enjoyable which was clear with how much fun the kids were having. Leo had to keep his laugh in check with how much little things were cracking him up, especially the girl who had just wanted to take a picture with him. "I mean obviously, Santa tries to get that done every year but I'm starting to think he's a capitalist, which would make sense considering it keeps him in business," Leo told her as softly as he could. The books his sisters had gifted him were definitely having their impact. "I hear that, a good and solid couch is hard to come by. Especially one that won't require you to take out a loan." He turned back to the crowd for the last group of kids before posing for a few photos with the elves. But Leo shuffled them all off so he could get a few good photos with Blair. "Oh this is definitely going on my instagram story. You know your brother is gonna love this," he teased once things started to wrap up.

"Woah, I certainly wasn't expecting to hear Santa might be a capitalist from Santa himself, today." Blair let Leo know, playing up her shock as what he'd just said. "We might have to further unpack the implications of that statement later." She told him. "Oh, it's literally been hell to find something that just screams me. But I also told myself, I won't be settling. I know what it is that I want and if I can't get my comfy olive green couch of my dreams right now... then I'll be waiting to get it." Blair explained with a small laugh as her place was slowly but surely reflecting the space she'd always wanted it to look like. Now all that was missing was the piece of resistance. Eventually, the photo ops came to an end and Blair could actually say she was sad to say goodbye to the last batch of tykes. "I assume this the moment you thought I'd be protesting but by all means," Blair shrugged, looking down at her cherry red nails. "I know I just set the standard for Mrs. Claus' around these parts." She scoffed as he brought up her brother, playfully rolling her eyes. "Or he's already thinking of a way to book Rudolph himself, for the holiday function."

"Food? That I can do. You got it." He smiled as she put the glasses on and leaned over to take a look at himself in the mirror. "Damn, I look good. Ho, ho ho," he added and laughed again, pretty sure he was having more fun this year than last year. But that could've been because of the edible that Tallulah had given him earlier since she had prescribed him an enjoyable holiday. "Let's do this shit," he told her and held out his arm for her so they could walk into the room where the kids were waiting. They went wild as they walked in, greeting them before they took their seats at the front of the room to hear everyone's wishes. They were halfway through when Leo finally got a chance to turn to her. "What's at the top of your wish list this year?"

"Oh, I know? Why do you think I asked." Blair let him know, as she'd been fortunate enough to have had a couple of dinners cooked by Leo and whilst everyone knew him for his talents in dance... he was just as good a cook. "What you called me?" She looked back at Leo, her face stone straight before she fell into a small fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, I had to go for it." She said, through her laughter. "I'm ready." Blair nodded, taking a deep breath before her face formed a smile that she was all to use to having to form. As insane as she'd assumed the afternoon would be, dealing with young children who were eager to let it be known what they wanted for the holidays— all had been relatively chill. The worst offensive being when a little sassy girl let her know that she wanted to take a picture with Santa solo. "Aside from world peace and more taxation for billionaires?" She asked Leo, twisting her lips. "I'm such a woman of my age... I honestly just want a couple of more furniture pieces."

"Believe me, this wasn't at the top of my list either," he replied with a perfect Santa laugh that he had been working on all week. Leo looked her over and couldn't even stifle the rest of his laugh. "We both look fucking ridiculous but somehow are making it work. At least everyone will know Mr. and Mrs. Claus are Black." Which was the main thing for him when he stepped up again every year and his mother always showed up with all of his siblings to take pictures. His usual Mrs. Claus had moved out of town last year and Leo had found himself uncertain about where to go next. But his recent friendship with Blair felt solid, nice even and though her rarely asked new people for help, he had found it relatively easy to just put it out there when it came to Blair. "But now I feel like I still kind of owe you for this so you can cash in after today. Just tell Santa what you want."

"And typically not being the first choice would offend me but in this instance, I thank you for having a list you surely contacted before me." Blair let him know, with a small laugh before pointing out how great she believed his Santa laugh to be. "That we definitely do." She looked herself over, not believing that she was about to do this but she simply kept reminding her that this was in fact for a good cause. Plus, she did make the Mrs. Claus get up work for. "What do you mean? Weren't Mr. and Mrs. Claus always black? Because they certainly were in my house." Blair said, as the Bueller kids had grown up with figurines that depicted Santa as black. Which she'd come to learn wasn't the normal, much to her shock when she found herself at the age of five coming face to face with a white man calling himself Santa. "You might have to whip up something to eat pretty soon." She told him with bright smile, turning away from the mirror she'd been giving herself finishing touches. "Wait, wait." Blair let him know, as she noticed an integral part of his costume was missing. She located his glasses with relative ease, before making her way up to him to place them on. "And there you are. Santa Claus, as I live and breath."

"So, I may or may not have gone overboard on gifts for your parents. It's just I bought one thing then the other and then there's your brothers and like I'm used to getting them gifts but now I'm your boyfriend and that means something, you know? I can't half ass it. But I can't fully kiss their ass because they've basically known me all of my life. Just don't you know, be surprised when I pull up looking like Santa this Christmas with a big sack of presents." @blairblr

"You didn't?" Blue dropped her face into her boyfriend's shoulder, shaking her head. "Hernando, I think it goes without saying that my parents like, love you. So you really didn't have to do that..." She began. "but, because you knew there was going to be one... I'm sure that'll only win you that much more brownie points in their eyes. So if you weren't already their favorite, you have most definitely cleared any and all competition. I'm pretty sure including us, their own kids." Blue laughed as he spoke of her brothers. "Honestly, you could have just gotten them both coal and I would have co-signed it."