"What exactly are you hoping to see?" Kurt smiled. Blaine was staring intently into his coffee cup. Spinning his little wooden stirring stick around and around.

Blaine looked back and smiled sheepishly, "Not really sure; just watching, I guess."

"I don't know how you can even get coffee this time of day. It's so hot and you have to wear that uniform." Kurt wrinkled his nose toward the sun pouring into the Lima Bean.

"I like coffee." Blaine shrugged, sucking off the stick before discarding it onto the tabletop. "And the uniform brings in a paycheck, so I won't complain about that either."

Blaine was working at Dalton giving tours to potential new students for the fall semester. Despite his indifference toward having to wear the uniform in the hot summer months, he had draped his jacket over the back of his chair and rolled his sleeves halfway up his arms. "How are things at the shop?"

"Uneventful." Kurt rolled his eyes. "Have you tried giving any musical tours yet?"

Blaine chuckled, "Not so sure they'd go for that. Maybe later in the summer when things start to get a little redundant."

"Isn't the tour guide routine redundant somewhere around the second tour?" Kurt sipped his coffee cooler, enjoying being clear of grease and his coveralls for more than twenty-four hours. He liked working for his dad, but it didn't give him much of an opportunity to show off his new clothes.

Blaine opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes drifted from Kurt's face toward the counter.

Kurt felt his heart skip a beat. Blaine recognized someone. Was it Mikey or Max? Or worse, Eric?

"…Nadia?" Blaine slowly rose from his seat.

Kurt felt a momentary wave of relief that none of his guesses had been right. He twisted in his seat to look toward the line of patrons.

The girl at the counter looked over toward Blaine's voice. Her green eyes went wide. "Blaine? Blaine Anderson, that is not you."

Blaine let out a laugh, but before he could approach her, she had raced across the space and flung herself up into his arms. He caught her and staggered back, bracing her waist with one arm when she wrapped her legs around his middle and her arms around his neck. "Nice to see you, too."

"Oh my God, Blaine; I can't believe you're here!" Nadia untangled her legs from him so he could set her back on the ground, but her hands remained on his shoulders. "Look at you!"

Blaine laughed and touched the hair just barely brushing her shoulders. "Look at you. You cut off your hair!"

She glanced upward toward her bangs and then grinned at him. "I did it ages ago. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Miss, you need to pay for your order." The barista was leaned over the counter, looking irritated.

"Forget it!" Nadia waved a hand to dismiss the other woman.

"No, go get your drink." Blaine shoved a five-dollar bill into her hand and closed her fingers around it. "Then get back over here and tell me whose hearts you've been breaking these days."

Nadia smiled adoringly at him before bouncing back toward the counter.

Blaine smiled after her fondly.

"Do you plan on telling me who your long lost corner worker is, or do I just have to piece it together myself?" Kurt stared, dumbstruck, from his seat.

Blaine opened his mouth, but then the girl was back, cup in hand. Blaine stood and pulled a chair out for her. She curtsied at him (though her skirt was far too short to actually lift at all) and winked before settling down into the offered seat and dropping the change on the table beside Blaine's cup. The two stared at each other, stupid grins glued to both of their faces.

Kurt cleared his throat, "Blaine?"

"Right, sorry." Blaine laughed, shaking his head. "Kurt, this is Nadia Fisher. She was my best friend growing up."

"Pleasure." Kurt smiled, offering a hand.

"Pleasures all mine." Nadia shook it. She looked at Blaine for a moment before looking back to Kurt then back to Blaine, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Blaine, is this your…"

"Boyfriend." Blaine finished, smiling at Kurt and nudging his foot briefly under the table.

"Oh, Blaine." Nadia reached out and squeezed his hand. She smiled and Kurt thought for a moment she might cry. "You finally- he's so- Oh God, B, I'm so happy for you."

Blaine blushed and laughed and winked at Kurt. "Yeah, he's great."

The two stared at each other for a moment, her hand still resting on his. He laughed again and squeezed her fingers gently between his own.

Kurt didn't know if he was more flustered or more moved by the unspoken conversation, but he couldn't help but be glad to see Blaine look so genuinely happy.

Finally Nadia looked back to Kurt. "Did you meet at Dalton then?"

Blaine explained he and Kurt's history. Dropping in enough praise toward Kurt's singing to make his counterpart blush when Nadia smiled admiringly at him.

"It's so wonderful. For both of you." Nadia pulled her feet up onto her chair to sit cross-legged, holding her cup between both hands she looked between Kurt and Blaine over and over as though she simply couldn't get enough of it.

"So what have you been up to? Other than chopping off your hair, I mean." Blaine looked over the auburn locks atop her head then leaned forward to lift a section and study it closer. "Are those feathers in there?"

She pulled the piece free from his fingers and smoothed it back into place. "Yes. They're extensions."

"They're from a bird." Blaine replied.

"That's generally where feathers come from, B, and they're from the salon so it's not like I just picked them up off the street and glued them in there so stop looking at me like I'm a crazy person." She lifted a section of hair to study the sleek little black and gold striped pieces herself. Apparently satisfied with it, she tucked it back in with the rest.

"I never said you were a crazy person." Blaine raised both hands in the air.

"You implied it." Nadia turned her attention to Kurt. "Kurt likes them, don't you, Kurt?"

Kurt smiled briefly at her, still overwhelmed by her sudden drop-in to their lives. "As a matter of fact, I do. Very edgy."

"You hear that, B?" Nadia scooted her chair closer to Kurt's. "Your boyfriend thinks they make me look edgy. Your boyfriend; God, I can't get over that."

Blaine smiled and shook his head. "I won't try to argue with Kurt's fashion sense. Are you going to tell me about your life or not?"

Nadia took a drink from her cup before smiling. "Well, right after you abandoned me, New Albany Dance Team won state, thank you very much. I don't know, nothing interesting other than that…we got second this year. Carmel bitches, I think they were sleeping with the judges. They had to be. It was, like-God, whatever, I'm over it. Anyway, I don't know. Nothing that exciting, school and work and dance."

"Nothing exciting in the life of the fabulous Nadia Fisher?" Blaine raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that."

Nadia sniffled indignantly. "Well maybe things are just in the past now. If you had bothered to call me even once since you left, I would have had more details to give."

Blaine flinched. "I am sorry I didn't keep in touch, I just…"

Nadia dropped the indignant look and moved her chair back to its original place. "I was only kidding, B. I mean, I do wish you had at least dropped a text or something, but I get it. You had to get out of there."

Blaine smiled grimly. "Yeah, but that's a pretty shitty excuse. I could have called or something, I guess I just got so focused on stripping myself of the whole thing I didn't put much thought into anything—or anyone—else."

Nadia shrugged. "Whatever. Over it. I'm just glad to see you now."

Blaine smiled at her "You too."

She studied his face for a moment before smiling again, reaching up to touch his cheek with a hand. "You seem happy, Blaine. Tired. But happy."

Blaine glanced at Kurt then at Nadia. "I am happy."

Blaine's phone went off, vibrating across the table. He lifted it and smiled apologetically at the other two. "Sorry, it's work."

Nadia dropped her hand from his face. "Take it. Kurt and I can chat for awhile."

Blaine rose from the table and disappeared out the door to find a quieter area.

Nadia stirred her straw around in her iced coffee for a moment. "You two seem great together."

"We are." Kurt blushed, "I mean, he's wonderful."

"How has he been?" Nadia looked out the glass-fronted store toward where Blaine stood, leaned against his car in the lot. "I haven't seen him smile this much in a long time."

Kurt studied the girl for a moment before responding. "He's good…for the most part."

Nadia's eyes drifted back toward Kurt. "People are good to him at Dalton, aren't they? Please say they are."

Kurt nodded his head quickly. "Oh, yes! Everyone loves Blaine."

Nadia looked relieved. "I don't know why anyone ever wouldn't. He's always been such a sweetheart. Clueless. But a sweetheart."

Kurt laughed a little, happy to find someone else who saw Blaine as he did. He glanced toward the parking lot where Blaine was now sitting on the hood of his car, looking irritated with whoever was on the other line. "…Nadia, do you know Eric Marlow?"

Nadia looked surprised for a moment, then wary. "Of course I do. Why?"

"It's just… Blaine and I ran into him a week ago, and-"

"Did he hurt him?" Nadia's eyes went back to the window to scrutinize the other boy's profile.

"No," Kurt folded his hands on the table, unsure of how much he could tell this sudden apparition of Blaine's past. "But he definitely unsettled him."

Nadia turned her attention back to Kurt, studying him. "Does Blaine ever talk about New Albany?"

Kurt returned the look of scrutiny. "Not much. I know it was enough to make him feel like he had no choice but to leave…and apparently those feelings haven't changed much."

Nadia winced, "I wish I could have done something… I tried, I really did, but in the end, Blaine, he-"

Kurt and Nadia both looked toward the front of the coffee shop when the little bell in front of the door rang out to announce someone's entrance. Blaine strode back in, tucking his phone into his pocket.

"Nadia," Kurt spoke in a low, rushed tone. "Do you think you and I could maybe go shopping or something sometime…and talk?"

Nadia smiled at Blaine as he settled back at the table. "You two have enough to talk about without me here to facilitate conversation?"

"Kurt and I were just making plans to go shopping sometime soon." Nadia flipped her hair behind her shoulder and held out a hand toward Kurt. "Give me your phone; I'll enter my number."

"A. You could have invited your long lost best friend, too, and B. I could have given him your number." Blaine pouted.

"A. You insulted my hair, and only true fashionistas get to be a part of this outing and B. Hello, two year old number in your phone, Blaine; I got a new one." Nadia rolled her eyes and handed the phone back to Kurt before glancing at Blaine. "Kurt can give you my new number. You remember how to call people, right?"

Blaine laughed. "Jeez, a little hostile about this whole thing, aren't you?"

"TWO YEARS, BLAINE!" Nadia waved her hands in the air, catching the attention of some of the other customers.

"Hush," Blaine smiled apologetically to the other patrons before looking back to Nadia. "Fair enough. I'll call. I promise."

"Shit. I am so late; I was supposed to be at Keira's like twenty minutes ago to—you remember Keira, she has like super blonde hair, well I guess it was black when you knew her, but, God, whatever it doesn't even matter—moral of the story is she's going to kick my ass for not being at her place a thousand years ago." Nadia was suddenly up and out of her seat, digging through her oversized purse. "Shit, I always lose my keys in here…"

Blaine watched her for a moment before leaning over toward the floor. When he straightened back up in his seat, he jingled a set of silver keys attached to about fifteen key chains. "I don't think these are Kurt's."

Nadia tried to snatch them from Blaine's hand, but he held on tight.

"I'm glad we ran into each other, N." Blaine smiled, his fingers still around the keys.

Nadia smiled. "Me too, B. Fuck Keira, this was totally worth it."

Blaine released his hold on her keys. "See ya around."

"I'd fucking better." Nadia leaned in and kissed Blaine full on the mouth. "Be a good boy. Call me soon."

She straightened up, but before racing out the door she leaned over the back of Kurt's chair to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Take good care of my baby, and call me when you want to go on that shopping trip. Nice meeting you!"

Before Kurt could respond, she was gone out the door, racing toward a little white Mazda in the lot, her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder as she climbed in.

"Wow. Just…wow." Kurt stared at the vacated parking space for a moment before looking back to his boyfriend. "Did we just agree to a threesome or something without my knowledge?"

Blaine smiled and shook his head. "She hasn't changed a bit."

"Apparently you have though, B." Kurt raised an eyebrow.

Blaine blushed and shrugged. "She's called me that since we were kids… you two seemed like you hit it off okay."

"She's sort of like…. If you combined Kesha, Santana, Quinn, and you then added a shot of cocaine." Kurt smiled sardonically.

Blaine tilted his head thoughtfully, "Subtract Santana from that equation and maybe add a little more cocaine."

"God, the way you two settled in I'm shocked you hadn't so much as said hello in the super market once or twice in two years."

Blaine groaned. "I know, I know. I guess… I meant what I said- I was so focused on just getting the hell away from all of it…but I'm glad we saw her; we used to be so close…"

Kurt's phone lit up on the tabletop.

"Hey cupcake, this is Nadia. Pick a day for our shopping trip!"

"Apparently she's decided you two are going to be close, too." Blaine chuckled when Kurt displayed the text for him. "My boss called to say he wants me to work Friday morning—you should go with her then, and we can all hang out afterwards."

Kurt nodded, sending the message to see if the date would work out.

"Sounds perf. I've got dance until 10, but I'm available anytime after. Can't wait to play XoXo"

"Should I be kind of frightened?" Kurt turned his phone for Blaine to see. "I'm kind of frightened."

Blaine smiled almost indulgently. "You'll love her, just give her some time. Her emotions are just all very…outward."

Kurt had no choice but to take Blaine for his word when the little white Mazda pulled into his driveway that Friday blasting Sugarcult approximately twenty seven minutes after she had called breathlessly to swear she'd be there in five.

"I had you pegged as a Brittany Spears and Lady Gaga type." Kurt shouted over the music as he climbed into the passenger seat.

Nadia turned the radio down and motioned toward her I-pod that was plugged into the car's stereo system. "I love everything, make your pick. Love the Roberto Cavalli tee, by the way."

Kurt glanced down at his shirt, pleased to have it recognized before looking over her outfit. Ripped off jean shorts and a loose neon pink t-shirt he could spy her black bra through. "Thank you, glad you're able to appreciate it."

When they arrived at the mall, Nadia slipped a hand over Kurt's elbow and chattered amicably about a party she'd heard about near Lima Saturday night that she felt they absolutely had to go to. She interrogated Kurt about every aspect of his life—especially fascinated by his time with the Cheerios—and gushed over how lucky Blaine was to have him. Despite her outfit choice for the day and her inability to leave any store without flirting with at least one attractive male employee, Kurt found himself liking the little brunette. She managed to select several shirts he actually approved of, and they both cooed over a shirt that would look perfect on Blaine. She had insisted on paying for it.

"Diet Pepsi. I need a Diet Pepsi now." She dragged Kurt toward the food court abruptly, already digging with her free hand in her purse for money. She released her hold on Kurt only to drop a few crumpled bills on the counter. The cashier looked over Nadia and sneered, but Nadia seemed unruffled, she smiled back and thanked the woman behind the counter politely before flouncing away.

"Well, she was a bitch." Kurt glanced over his shoulder toward the cashier as he followed after his shopping partner.

Nadia took a long drink from her straw, "Who?"

"The cashier; did you miss the look she gave you or were you so involved in your caffeine deprivation that you just weren't processing?" Kurt shook his head when Nadia offered him the paper cup.

"Oh, her," She shrugged, "Not worth my time."

Kurt smiled. Yes, he liked Nadia Fisher. He found her free hand and looped it back around his elbow.

"You wanted to talk about Blaine." Nadia said after they had passed a few more storefronts.

Kurt nodded slowly.

"I talked to him Wednesday night. He mentioned running into Eric, but he didn't have much to say about it." Nadia shook her cup near her ear to ensure it was empty before dropping it into a garbage can.

"Not surprising." Kurt sighed; his shopping high dropped a few notches. "What was Blaine like when he went to school with you?"

"When we were little kids, like eight you know, he was a happy little guy, but I mean, what's not to be happy about when you're eight?" Nadia waved to a group of girls but didn't pause to say hello.

Kurt contemplated mentioning that dead mothers tend to make for a pretty depressing eighth year of life, but thought better of it. "What about when you guys got older? Did you stay friends?"

Nadia glanced out of the corner of her eye toward Kurt. "You're wondering how the slutty dance queen and the quiet gay kid stayed pals."

Kurt blushed. "I don't mean to-"

Nadia smiled and squeezed his arm. "Relax. Everyone wondered about that. Blaine and I got shoved into play dates when we were like barely out of diapers, our Dads worked together, but then my dad got fired and there was like this massive falling out between our parents and B but I were like, whatever, so doesn't involve us. I don't know… Blaine and I just always got each other, even when I started dancing and our friend groups changed, we were the ones one another turned to when we needed a shoulder to lean on… blame it on us both being pretty girls with daddy issues I guess."

Kurt frowned, not really finding the joke all that funny, but decided detangling the web of Blaine and Nadia's relationship wasn't really the information he was after that day anyway. "So you knew he was gay."

Nadia looked thoughtful. "Yeah…I don't know if he ever, like, sat me down and announced it or anything, but we both knew. We tried to, like, experimentally make him straight when we were fourteen. So did not happen."

Kurt smiled. "He mentioned that once, I think… he said someone beat him up when you guys were still kids though, for being…well, himself."

Nadia cringed and nodded. "It got worse as we got older; when we were like thirteen and fourteen those boys would gang up on him. Blaine is so stubborn—he wouldn't let me tell his mom or my mom or anyone. I snuck him into my basement a few times to clean up his face and change clothes if he got muddied up or anything, I think I still have a pair of his jeans hidden in the storage room… he got a little more serious, but he did okay for a kid. Most of the jocks didn't mess with him—they knew he was my friend— but I didn't have much pull with Mike, Max, and Chris; they're big, but they have the athletic prowess of rhinos, so they spent most of their time with each other drinking beer behind the bleachers. So incredibly not hot."

"What about Eric?"

Nadia paused. She glanced around until she spied a bench. She spoke only once they had sat down. "Eric Marlow didn't come to school with us until the very end of eighth grade. Transferred in from somewhere in the Northeast…. People knew Blaine was gay, but it wasn't anything he flaunted or anything—he was a pretty quiet guy actually…but I swear to God, Eric had him singled out from day one. Blaine was terrified of him."

Kurt felt a tingle at the base of his neck that made him want to shudder. He suppressed it, and waited for Nadia to continue.

"Blaine was decent at letting things sort of roll off of him, but it was like Eric knew exactly what to say to him to just tear him apart. Eric's a good student, really like, freaky smart, so I guess it wasn't such a shocker that he could get Mikey and those boys to follow him around like puppies and go after Blaine. They never went after any other kids as far as I know." Nadia tucked her hair behind her ear. "I even tried flirting with Eric to get him to ease up- went to a movie with him and everything, but it didn't change anything—well, Blaine was bent all out of shape that I went on the date, and it was a total waste because it didn't change anything, actually things just seemed like they got worse."

"What happened?" Kurt ignored an incoming call from Rachel.

Nadia played absently with the handle of one of her bags. "They hit him so hard sometimes…. Never in the face so anyone could see… but, God, I know they had to have broken a few of his ribs- there were days he looked like he was going to be sick just from trying to inhale and exhale. But he would never tell, even when I cried and begged him to, he would tell me it was pointless and to let it be…."

"So you did." Kurt said flatly, biting back his disdain and suddenly feeling an edge of dislike toward the stupid little girl beside him.

She looked at him fiercely, suddenly not seeming like such a little girl. "Did your friends tattle for you every time some one pushed you around? Am I some massively stupid bitch for not running to his daddy and spilling all of his secrets? Blaine and I had a system and I wasn't going to be the bitch that broke that down, so don't you dare judge me- I can do that for myself."

Kurt felt a twinge of remorse. Two years separation or not, she clearly loved Blaine almost as much as he did. "I'm sorry, all right? I didn't mean to offend you… I just… it's hard to think about anyone hurting him."

"It's okay… I told you, Blaine and I didn't make sense to a lot of people, but we made sense to us. Well I thought we did." Nadia moved her hand from her Bloomingdale's bag to one of the feathers in her hair, running a fingertip along its edge.

"Something happened so that things didn't make sense." Kurt prompted.

Nadia nodded slowly, "I was so busy with dance for awhile—we were going to be competing for state, and I was choreographing at the studio for some of the senior's solo performances, and things were all so crazy, and so it just seemed like out of nowhere he wouldn't talk to me. He wouldn't even wave to me in the hallway."

"Did you confront him?" Kurt prayed that it wasn't a rule somewhere in the Nadia-Blaine Handbook that confrontations were prohibited.

"Of course I did." Nadia sighed. "He wouldn't tell me anything. Just that Eric was wearing him down and that he was tired."

Kurt felt let down. This information was nothing new. "He never explained it to you?"

"Have you ever tried to get Blaine Anderson to open up about something he doesn't really feel like chatting about?" Nadia said incredulously.

"Touché." Kurt sighed.

"Kurt... he wouldn't even smile. It was like he was a ghost, and then one day he was just gone. He was my best friend, and I had to find out from the secretary in the front office that he'd transferred to Dalton because he wouldn't return my calls… I thought about going to his place, but…" Nadia's eyes shone with tears.

Kurt reached over and pulled her hand from her hair to hold it.

She smiled despite the tears that had started to slip down her cheeks. "And then out of nowhere he was at the coffee shop. Two years without so much as running into him at the gas station in New Albany, and he was just sitting there in Lima. God, Kurt, seeing him was like… he was so happy, and he had you, and he was smiling… it didn't matter anymore why all of that shit happened; it's so incredibly wonderful to see him smile."

Kurt felt his own eyes tear over momentarily for the girl beside him.

She sniffled and laughed, pulling her hand from his to dig a compact out of her purse. "God, sorry, I never cry like this, I swear."

"No…it's nice. To see someone else loves him as much as I do." Kurt blinked back his own tears.

"What's he like at Dalton; is he still acting?" Nadia was reapplying mascara in front of her little mirror.

"Acting?" Kurt laughed. "No, he sings at Dalton. For their glee club."

Nadia snapped the mirror shut. "That's good; he has a nice voice. He was way more involved in the drama department in New Albany, but singing… yeah I can see him doing that too."

"He's good, really good, and he loves it." Kurt filed away the little fact about Blaine's past in theatre with thoughts about Blaine's fear of sharks and his inability to pronounce the word cinnamon without flip-flopping the m and n sounds at least twice. The little things he liked to tease him about from time to time.

"You said he hasn't seemed so happy lately though?" Nadia rose from the bench, gathering her bags.

Kurt looped the handle of a Victoria Secret bag over her arm for her before speaking. "Compared to what you've told me, he's practically vomiting rainbows and smiley faces, but from what I know of him… he's just…. Off. It all started in the spring really, I guess, he had a nightmare and-"

Nadia groaned. "He's still having nightmares? I swear to Jesus, if that stupid kid would talk about his feelings from time to time he wouldn't have all of these Freudian slip ups."

"So he's always had them." Kurt felt a pang of hurt as he thought back on Blaine's reassurances that it was just a phase.

"Not always, but for a long time, like, I don't remember when they started. I was like a fucking nighttime ninja trying to shut him up when I let him sleep over so my parents wouldn't hear." Nadia shook her head; she glanced at Kurt then and frowned. "I probably shouldn't just be spilling his whole life to you like this."

Kurt had realized early in the day that it was best to let Nadia counsel herself when she seemed unsure about something, so he remained silent as they moved toward the parking lot to go home. Sure enough, she started talking herself in a circle.

"I mean, it's his life and I don't think he's spilling all my deep darks to yoy for some nice pillow talk or anything, but I'm like, trying to help him out here by telling you this. I mean, you're his boyfriend. You should know." Nadia nodded her head, apparently reassured by herself. She shoved her shopping bags into the trunk brusquely.

Kurt smiled briefly at her; relieved her go around had come out in his favor. "I do appreciate it. Blaine can be such an enigma sometimes… he's always fussing over me to make sure I'm all right, and I'm safe and I'm happy. Sometimes I feel like I don't even know enough of what's going on with him to even know if there's something wrong I can help him with. So this Eric thing…it's just…unsettling."

Nadia regarded him for a moment, then suddenly took his face between both of her hands and planted a kiss on his mouth. "You are too good to be true, K. Blaine couldn't get any luckier in who he got for a guy."

Kurt blushed at the sudden touch of her lips but rolled his eyes. "K? What is this, some bad episode of Gossip Girl? Why are we all going by first initials?"

"Shut up, you think it's cute and you know it." Nadia dropped her keys into Kurt's hand and clambered into the passenger side of the car—apparently deciding she was not in the mood to play driver—she contented herself with shuffling through her I-Pod. "Let's go surprise B at work."

"I really don't think Dalton will appreciate a woman coming into one of their tours. Especially one so meagerly dressed." Kurt used the tips of two of his fingers to push one of her bra straps back up her arm from where it poked out beneath her t-shirt.

"Fuck you, I look hot. And hello, fashion police, check out a magazine once and awhile- this is a look." Nadia motioned a hand over her ensemble.

"A look that says you either just left the corner or you're headed there now." Kurt checked his bangs in the rearview mirror.

Nadia flipped her hair behind her shoulder—a mannerism Kurt had already started to recognize as much as he noted Blaine's. "You're jealous that you can't wear shorts this small, that's all."

"On the contrary, I am for once relieved that cut off shorts are limited to women's fashion because I would not be able to display my pasty thighs to the entire world."

Nadia stretched a leg across his lap. "Perks of being a dancer."

Kurt glanced down at the tanned, tone limb draped across him and smiled. "I'm sure if I were straight, I would find this all very alluring."

Nadia rubbed the heel of her foot on his upper thigh and laughed. "Yeah?"

Kurt let go of the wheel with one hand to shove her foot further down his lap toward his knees. "Ugh, so you're where Blaine gets this."

Nadia let out a loud burst of laughter. "Oh my God, B getting all seductive. Too perfect."

Kurt blushed; he had forgotten once again that the Blaine he and Nadia knew seemed to be two separate people. "Well, he- I mean, I- we-."

Nadia folded her leg back into her own seat and laughed again. "Oh no, don't get all bashful on me. Come on, spill; who's the steamier one in the couple?"

Kurt felt the blush spread further, but still managed to mumble. "…Blaine. Blaine is definitely the sexy one."

Nadia grinned, nodding to herself. "B has gotten damn fine since we were younger. I don't blame you for getting all hot and bothered by him."

Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled all the same.

"You know," Nadia appraised Kurt for a moment. "I think we should turn the tables. A few little lessons from me, and you will blow our sweet little Honey Bee's mind."

"If these little lessons involve any demos, I think I'll pass." Kurt glanced sideways at his passenger.

"Oh, hush, I don't have cooties." Nadia folded her legs beneath her on the seat. "Lesson number one: the 'I want you' hand hold."

"Nadia, I really don't think-"

Nadia caught his hand in hers and held it over the cup holder between them. "See, a nice cuddly car hand holding sesh."

Kurt glanced down at their hands despite himself. "Okay…"

"But then you decide, huh, I don't want to just play Troy and Gabriella cuddle buddies- I mean, I really do think they fuck like bunnies secretly, but for Disney purposes they just sing and cuddle—anyway, you look at all those sexy curls and those dreamy eyes and you decide. I want this guy." Nadia brushed a thumb across Kurt's hand. "So you start, real casual like, rubbing your thumb over his."

Kurt couldn't decide if he was more mortified or more curious, but he didn't have time to decide. Nadia had continued her tutorial as they merged onto the Dalton exit.

"Then, you pull his hand up by you." Nadia rested their elbows in the space between them and pulled their interlocked hands toward her. "And you give it a nice little kiss."

"I'm a little shocked to be saying this, but this all seems fairly chaste." Kurt smiled slightly as they pulled into the Dalton parking lot.

"That's the best part; it's a sneak attack!" Nadia, Kurt realized, hadn't let go of his hand yet. "So you kiss it a little more…"

Kurt glanced furtively around the grounds surrounding the parking lot- a tour group was making their way across the front lawn. "Nadia, maybe we should-"

"Then you open up his hand and you kiss him like this." Nadia seemed unfettered by having to pry open Kurt's fingers to touch kisses to his exposed palm and the edges of his fingers. "Then you go in for the kill."

Kurt was momentarily relieved when the tour group disappeared back through the front doors, but then he let out a yelp of surprise. Nadia had nipped one of his fingers before slipping it into her mouth.

She let go of him with a triumphant grin. "You see? Works every time!"

"I am traumatized." Kurt cradled his hand against his chest.

Nadia pulled down her mirror to check her lip-gloss. "Next time you're on a little outing with your man, you're going to thank me."

"Or have a post-traumatic stress break down." Kurt grumbled.

"Do not try to tell me for even one second that you would not love to melt Blaine into a little puddle of desire all for you." Nadia raised a cynical eyebrow toward Kurt.

Kurt opened his mouth, but had to shut it and look away with a blush.

Nadia tapped a finger on the tip of his nose. "That's what I thought. We'll commence lessons another day. I spy a very sexy tour guide."

Kurt looked across the lot and spotted Blaine, walking backwards in front of a group of boys even smaller than him. He stopped them out front and the group started to disperse, a few parents hanging back to chat with him.

Nadia watched for a moment more before climbing out of the car, Kurt rushing after her to try and keep her from interrupting any of the potential Dalton parents in their talks with their guide. Nadia looped her hand around his arm when he caught up to her and waited patiently out of eyesight for Blaine to finish up.

When the last parent finished her chatter with Blaine, tugging her son toward the car when he gawked at the scantily clad dancer nearby, Nadia quietly sneaked up behind Blaine. "Meow."

Kurt frowned at her; seriously, Blaine and Nadia might be a more complicated couple of people than Sid and Nancy.

Blaine pivoted around, looking surprised for a moment, and then grinning as he looked over Nadia. "Me-ow. Does Kesha know you raided her closet?"

"Fuck you, she got into mine," Nadia looked over Blaine, "Does George Bush know you raided his?"

"President's don't wear suits with red piping," Blaine winked at Kurt.

Nadia traced a hand over his lapel and smiled, "Well maybe they should. You look damn fine. Doesn't he, K?"

"As always." Kurt agreed.

"Watch it, N, you'll turn my boyfriend into you."

"Well then, lucky you," Nadia smiled, "When are you done with the Tour Guide Ken routine?"

"Now, actually." Blaine glanced at his watch.

"Perf, lets drop off your car and hit the town," Nadia pivoted on her hell without waiting for a response, Kurt trailing helplessly after her.

"See you in twenty?" Blaine called after them.

Nadia seemed to suddenly realize Kurt was beside her. She stopped in her tracks, grabbed both his shoulders and turned him back toward Blaine, "No, no, no. You're riding with him. You have some practicing to do."

"But, I-"

"But fucking nothing; if that boy is not disoriented with lust by the time I pull into the driveway, I am never letting you have your bags out of my trunk. Shoo." She shoved him lightly back toward Blaine so he had no choice but to follow orders.

"Boss lady says I'm with you," Kurt smiled and shrugged as he approached Blaine's car.

"Her loss," Blaine smiled, loosening his tie as he climbed into the driver's seat, "You two have fun today?"

"Yes…she's quite the character." Kurt smiled to himself.

Blaine chuckled and squeezed Kurt's hand briefly. "She's one in a million, that's for sure. You guys had plenty to talk about, I'm sure."

"Loads." Kurt glanced down at their hands briefly.

Blaine let go to peel off his blazer and roll up his sleeves, "Jesus it's hot."

"It most certainly is." Kurt caught Blaine's fingers between his own and brushed his thumb across the back of his hand.