Kurt knew before he had even opened his eyes that it was much too early for him to be up. Groaning, he rolled over and shoved his face deeper into the pillow. It was no use. He was awake, like every other morning since he’d moved, before the sun had even risen.

            It was clear that he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep, and he didn’t quite feel like wasting his last day before work in bed, so with a grumble he sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

            The room was a jumbled mess of open suitcases and discarded sketches, the constant reminders that he had been given a chance, a chance to test out what a new life in a new city could be. New York was great, but even in the three short years that he’d been there it had worn him out.

            He glanced toward the window, where a dull purple light had begun filtering in through the shades. On the bright side, it was early enough that he could walk to the beach and watch the sunrise. He’d seen it every day for the past week, but there was something so calming and surreal about it all. He didn’t think he could ever get tired of that feeling.

            Yawning, he picked up his phone to check his email. His heart rate sped up when he saw the message from his new boss. The great thing about the show was that they’d just gotten the go-ahead to start filming after the pilot rated well. He was joining the team at the very beginning of something exciting, and because of that, he wasn’t as worried about trying to find his way around as “the new kid.”

Hi, Kurt! Are you excited yet? I hope so, because we are all so happy to welcome you to the wardrobe department. I think that the five of us will be a very close-knit family throughout filming! There’s a bit of paperwork that we need you to fill out and a few things for you to do as well, such as getting your employee ID, which will give you access to the lot. It would probably be helpful for you to explore the place a bit, so you can find your way around before it’s time to get to work. I’ll be here all day; come by anytime! I’ve given your name to security, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting in, but if you do, just give me a call. I’m really looking forward to meeting you! Best, Stacy 

            A smile spread across Kurt’s face as he read the message. Though he didn’t particularly feel like going to work on his last day off, he couldn’t help but get excited. He was going to be working on a TV show, on a real studio lot in Hollywood, and he could already tell that his boss was going to be a complete sweetheart.

            He briefly wondered if it was possible for Los Angeles to be even better than he’d imagined.

            Kurt walked up to the security box in front of Paramount Studios, his palms sweating slightly. The guard looked up at him, completely disinterested. Kurt was certain that hundreds of fans pestered security daily, saying anything in an attempt to sneak into the lot. This, unfortunately, did not make for a very friendly attitude towards visitors.

            “Can I help you,” the man asked dully, staring at Kurt with a look that quite clearly said, “I’m not interested in your bullshit.”

            “Hi. Uhm, my name should be on the… the list? My boss put me down. I’m working on the show, “Casa Nova.” My name is Kurt Hummel.”

            The guard glanced down at a sheet of paper on the desk in front of him, apparently seeing whatever he was looking for, as his attitude changed suddenly. He smiled up at Kurt, slipping a guest pass and map through the slot in the window. “Welcome to Paramount, Mr. Hummel.”

            “Thanks,” Kurt said, quietly, pressing the sticker to the front of his shirt and waiting for the guard to buzz him in. He glanced at the map as he walked through the door and into the lot.

            It was emptier than he had expected, though he supposed not a lot of shows were filming on a Sunday afternoon. He sighed, looking around for arrows or signs or any sort of indication that could help him find Lot 7-B.

            He wandered around for a few minutes; squinting at the map, then back up at the buildings. Nothing seemed to make any sort of sense and he was beginning to get frustrated. He cursed under his breath, allowing himself a brief moment of childish anger.

            “Lost?”

            The voice came out of nowhere, causing Kurt to jump slightly before turning around to face whoever was speaking to him.

            “Uhm… I’m not really sure.” He answered, trying his best not to blush, because Blaine Anderson, deliciously sexy star of “Casa Nova,” was standing in front of Kurt and looking very much like he was trying hard not to laugh.

            “First things first, you’re holding that upside down,” Blaine said with a grin, pointing at the map in Kurt’s hands.

            “Oh, yeah. Yeah, of course.” Kurt flipped the map over, desperately trying to avoid any eye contact. Surely his cheeks were bright red by that point, which was certainly not the first impression he’d been hoping to make.

            “Where are you trying to go? Maybe I can help.”

             “Yeah, maybe…“ Kurt bit his lip to refrain from blurting out the sarcastic answer that bubbled its way to his lips.  “I’m trying to find Lot 7-B.”

            Blaine’s eyes lit with recognition as he glanced down at Kurt’s guest pass, clearly looking for a name. “Oh! Oh, okay. I’m Blaine.” He held his hand out to Kurt, who had finally gotten over his map embarrassment enough to look Blaine in the eyes.

            “Nice to meet you, Blaine. I’m Kurt.”

            “What are you doing on set? I hope you don’t mind me asking… I know we’re getting a lot of new crew members this week.”

            “I’m working in the costume department. Or I will be, starting tomorrow anyways. I’m a design student at FIT, just here for the summer.”

            “Wow,” Blaine blew out a gust of air and smiled at Kurt. “That’s amazing.”

            Kurt paused for a second to stare at him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever gotten that reaction when telling someone what he did. To be honest, most people seemed to assume before he’d even said anything at all, but the weirdest part was that Blaine really did seem genuinely fascinated by what Kurt was saying.

            “And what about you,” Kurt asked quickly, realizing he’d stayed silent for a few awkward seconds too long.

Blaine looked confused for a moment before a deep blush began to spread across his cheeks. “Oh, of course. Wow, I’m sorry, I just kind of assumed you’d... Wow, this is coming off as extremely conceited.”

Blaine stuttering over his words was cute and Kurt had to admit that he kind of liked watching him suffer. “I play Aaron on the show,” he finally said, looking up at Kurt sheepishly. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, rocking back on his feet a little.

Suddenly Kurt felt slightly guilty about messing with Blaine. He seemed nice enough, at least in comparison to other actors Kurt had met.

            “Yeah, I know,” Kurt finally said, shrugging his shoulders. “I kind of just wanted to make you say it.”

            A smirk slowly spread across Blaine’s face as he nodded his head in understanding. He hummed slightly, as he began to walk, motioning for Kurt to follow. “I have the feeling you’re going to be an interesting one, Kurt. Very interesting.”

            Kurt’s heart rate quickened slightly, though he attributed that to the fact that he was practically running to keep up with Blaine as they weaved between trailers and huge storage boxes. It shouldn’t have been hard keeping pace, considering Blaine’s legs were shorter than his, but it proved to be difficult as Kurt found himself stopping to stare at everything they passed.

            “So what brings you here on your day off?” Blaine’s voice snapped Kurt back to the present as he hurried to catch up.

            “Getting my employee ID, filling out paperwork, stalking the celebrities.” He grinned as Blaine pretended to gasp in shock.

            “Well, at least you can cross one of those items off the list.” Blaine winked at Kurt as they stopped in front of a huge building with the letters “7-B” painted over the doorway.

            “Really? And which one is that?”

            Blaine lifted his eyebrows, scoffing slightly. “As if you don’t know.” Blaine’s face broke out into a grin as he gestured toward the door. “Well, here we are.”

            “Here we are,” Kurt repeated, a little sad that he no longer had an excuse to continue the conversation.

            “I’d better get going. I should probably sleep so I don’t look like a zombie on set tomorrow.” Blaine smiled at Kurt, waving lightly before turning to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kurt.”

            “Okay,” Kurt said, as Blaine disappeared back in the direction they’d come from. He took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. He’d just had a friendly conversation with a Hollywood celebrity. Said celebrity had casually reminded him that they’d be seeing each other regularly. Said celebrity had also been ridiculously good looking.

            He shook the thoughts quickly from his mind before opening the door to the building and walking inside.

            Kurt flopped down onto the couch next to Rachel, sighing loudly.

            “Where have you been,” she asked, muting the marathon of whatever cheesy reality show she had been watching.

            “I went to the lot to get my ID and find my way around. “ Kurt kicked his shoes off and lifted his feet to the coffee table. They looked comically large next to Rachel’s.

            “How was it?” She asked, laying her head on Kurt’s shoulder and relaxing into him. Over the past few years, Rachel had been one of the only constants in Kurt’s life. Living together, they’d become their own little family, and there was nobody he trusted more, even though their relationship had a bit of a rocky start back in high school.

            “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I went since I managed to get lost three seconds after walking through the gates.” Rachel laughed lightly, a hum of sympathy escaping her lips.

            “But, there was one positive.”

            “Oh, was there?”

            “Guess who I met?”

            Rachel sat up quickly, turning to face him. Her eyes twinkled brightly and she clasped her hands together quickly. After all these years, Kurt was still amused by Rachel’s reactions. Her childlike excitement was refreshing and he was briefly reminded of Blaine’s reaction when he’d told him why he was on set.

            “Who?”

            “Blaine Anderson.” Rachel’s jaw dropped as soon Kurt said the name, her eyes somehow growing even wider than they’d been before.

            “No way! Did you get his number?”

            “Yes, Rachel. I did. In fact, he’s picking me up in about 30 minutes. We’re driving to a chapel in Vegas to tie the knot,” Kurt responded dryly.

            “Shut up.” Rachel smacked him gently on the arm, but she couldn’t help smiling. “What happened?”

            “Naturally, the most embarrassing scenario. He found me staring blankly at my upside down map and asked if I needed help.”

            “Poor baby,” Rachel said, lightly rubbing Kurt’s arm.

            “Yeah, well I’ll survive. He’s nicer than I thought he would be. I mean, I know he’s not super famous yet. This is really the first thing he’s even done professionally, but... I don’t know. The pilot did so well and he’s been in a few magazines since then. I guess I just kind of expected him to be…”
            “A jackass?”

            “Hmm… kind of. Is that wrong?”

            “No. Just stereotypical,” she laughed, as Kurt shoved her lightly. “Well, what was he?”

            “Nice.” Kurt paused for a second. “Normal. And extremely good looking.”

            “Sounds like somebody has a crush!” Rachel was sickeningly overenthusiastic with anything involving Kurt’s love life.

            “Rachel, no. First off, I talked to him for five minutes. I don’t have a crush. I’m just saying he’s a nice guy.” Kurt pulled out his phone and began browsing the web, effectively ending the conversation before it went further along on a topic he really didn’t feel like discussing.

            “Oh my god…” Kurt stared down at his phone, a small smile lighting his features.

            “What? What happened?”

            “Blaine just tweeted.”

            “You follow him on Twitter? I thought you said it wasn’t a crush!” Rachel stopped laughing when she noticed the look Kurt was giving her. “Okay, sorry! Spill! What did he say?”

            Wordlessly, Kurt handed Rachel the phone, watching as her eyes became the size of dinner plates. Her mouth opened like she wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Kurt rolled his eyes at her dramatics, even though he really should have been used to it by that point.

            “Geez, Rachel. It’s just a tweet, calm down,” Kurt said, snatching the phone back, yet he couldn’t help smiling as he looked at the tweet again. Yes, he had the feeling that working on Casa Nova was going to be much better than anticipated.

@BlaineAnderson

Very excited to start filming Casa Nova tomorrow! We've got some great cast/crew! Though maybe a bit directionally-challenged ;)