It was like a dream come true.
Well, nearly.
A handsome, polite, charming boy who happened to love music as much as he did, and had the most amazing singing voice, and actually paid attention to everything Kurt said...
Damn, Kurt thought. If he was gay, this would be too good to be true.
At that moment, he was on his way to Breadstix to meet up with Blaine. Mercedes lounged in the passenger seat, chatting aimlessly about school, but Kurt wasn't really listening. His mind kept wandering back to Blaine. This would be the fourth time they had 'gone out'. The first time (lunch after that terrible incident on the stairs) Kurt had been a little awkward, assuming that Blaine wouldn't have much in common with him at all, and their conversation would be stilted and terrible and Blaine would leave thinking that Kurt deserved everything he got...
Surprisingly, they probably shared more interests than Blaine and Finn (whom Kurt still held up as the poster boy for the average straight American boy).
That particular 'date' had ended on a good note, with Blaine promising to call sometimes and make sure that Kurt was doing okay. In fact, he called the very next day and invited Kurt to an amateur performance of 'RENT'. His dad had given him a weird look when he told him who he was going with.
"So... You're sayin' this Blaine kid is straight, right? I mean, not tryin' to offend anyone here, but I never met a straight guy who would sit through musicals and sing along with 'em like you do."
Kurt huffed. "Well, Blaine goes to a private school and he is a cultured young man. He's not like the kids at McKinley."
Burt had just shrugged. "Okay, kid. I'm just happy you got someone else lookin' out for you."
And now he was pulling into the Breadstix parking lot, Mercedes still nattering on. "-yeah, so, what are you doing tomorrow night?"
"Huh?"
Mercedes rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Kurt, you can't have plans with Blaine every day. Hasn't he got other friends? Or a girlfriend?"
Girlfriend? "No, he doesn't have a girlfriend. He said he doesn't, anyway." Kurt tried to fight the wrench of jealousy in his gut, oh-so-familiar after all those days spent watching Finn with Quinn and Rachel. "I'm sorry I've been spending so much time with Blaine, okay? It's just nice to have someone to talk to. Someone like me, someone like us, who escaped." He held up a finger to stop her protesting. "And, it's good to actually have a friend outside of Glee club. You're all amazing, but sometimes it's nice to get away from Rachel's drama." Kurt reached down to undo his seatbelt, catching a glimpse of Mercedes' smile and instantly knowing he was forgiven.
"Well, shall we go in?"

Mercedes bit back a laugh when she saw Blaine's blazer, but his dazzling smile when Kurt introduced them seemed to soften her up a little. They sat at one of the middle booths, and Kurt was surprised by how easily his two friends slipped into conversation. Apparently Blaine's mother was very musically-minded (which explained his unusual knowledge of musical theatre) and she happened to share Mercedes' tastes in music. In fact, Kurt started to feel left out after listening to Blaine discuss Aretha Franklin for nearly half an hour (despite how dreamy his voice was). "Has anyone read Patti LuPone's new book?" he interrupted, fully aware that neither of them probably had, but desperate for some attention.
To his utter shock, Blaine turned to him, grinning sheepishly. "I have, actually. My mum had it on her bedside table and I was bored... It was kinda good."
Kurt broke into a face-splitting smile. "It was fantastic! Did you like the second chapter?"
Before he could answer, the young waitress strode up, bearing three plates loaded with pasta and salad. "Your food, sirs and madam," she said, throwing a flirtatious wink at Blaine. Once again, unwanted jealousy flared up in Kurt's stomach. He glanced at Blaine, who smiled back politely and reached up to take his plate. "Thanks."
The waitress walked off rather abruptly after delivering the food. Kurt guessed she was disappointed at the lack of response to her flirting.

Blaine wiped his mouth with one of the tasteless napkins Breadstix used. Really, Kurt needed to have a word with the manager about decorating this place more appropriately, because the place just oozed pretentiousness.
"...I actually need to get home soon. My parents wanted me to attend some work dinner tonight, but I told them I already had a date." Blaine grinned at Mercedes. "Worked like a charm, 'cos my dad's always on me to get a girlfriend."
Kurt's heart sank. So I'm only an excuse to dodge his parents?
As if he could read Kurt's mind, Blaine gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder (and he really needs to stop with the physical touching, because this is not helping me get over this stupid crush) paired with that damn smile that left Kurt breathless. "That's not the only reason I'm hanging out with you, of course. I really like spending time with you." He flushed slightly. "Why do I keep saying things like that?"
Mercedes laughed. "Okay, boy, you better get on home before you embarrass yourself anymore. Great talking to you." She waved Blaine off. "Go on!"
The short boy slipped out of the booth, waving to both of them as he left. "I'll see you later, Kurt!"
Shaking her head, Mercedes turned back to Kurt. "He seems nice."
"He is nice, 'Cedes, what did I tell you? And..." Kurt swallowed, smiling nervously. "I think he likes you." Oh god, maybe he does, and then they'll get together and-
"Kurt, you really need to learn how to read signals better. He kept trying to bring you into the conversation. He was trying to talk to you, not me. Weren't you listening?"
Kurt sat back. "Oh."
His best friend sighed. "If he were gay, he'd be the perfect guy for you."
"Yeah, well, he's not," Kurt muttered bitterly.
"Oh, Kurt. You're gonna find someone someday, sweetie. In the meantime, you've got fabulous friends like me, right?"
He smiled a little at Mercedes' hopeful tone. "Yeah, I do."
She reached across and patted his arm. "Well, how about you come over tomorrow night and eat icecream with me and Tina? To remind you of how fabulous we are."
"Sure, 'Cedes."
Inwardly, Kurt hoped that he could relax and try and get over this Blaine thing.
He was pretty sure it wouldn't work, but he could try.