There it was, and in truth Serena would have been a fool to not expect it. Of course Blair would never let the topic go unrecognized, and Serena owed her best friend better than that. Much better. Never mind the impossible guilt she had been harboring over her own mistakes, what she had done to Blair - what the dark haired girl didn't know - fell into the realm of much worse.
And the look in Blair's eyes didn't go unrecognized, either. Serena felt a tightness in her throat and set down her glass. Without hesitation she reached across the table and touched her fingertips to the back of the other girl's hand.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, in the tone of voice that had previously shared so many secrets through slumber parties and late night conversations. "I'm..more sorry than you'll ever know. Blair, I know you might not believe that now, and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. But I really am. I...I should have called. I wanted to. I had so many letters written and they just all..fell short."