From Kurt

2:54 pm.

Okay. Snooki really needs to stop. She has to know stumbling down the streets of Italy like that isn’t attractive.

From Blaine

3:00 pm.

Jersey Shore? Really, Kurt?

From Kurt

3:02 pm.

What? You try watching this show and not getting sucked in. These people are so ridiculous. I can’t help myself.

Blaine found himself chuckling at Kurt’s last text message as he typed in a response and tapped the send button. They’d been texting nonstop since they’d met up at Paul’s house a little over a week ago and Blaine couldn’t help but to become more and more enamored by the boy. Kurt was vibrant and charming and had made a habit of sending Blaine little messages throughout the day just to make him laugh.

The loud shrill of the alarm on his cell phone ripped Blaine from his thoughts as he was reminded that he had an English class to attend within the next hour. He slipped on his shoes and made a swift grab for his messenger bag and his keys before leaving his room.

On his way out the door he ran into his father who was standing at the island in the kitchen pouring himself a glass of water.

“Class, I assume?” He asked, not looking up from the clear water glass.

Blaine nodded, clearing his throat. “Uh, yeah. English.”

When his father didn’t offer a response right away, Blaine figured he didn’t have anything else to say so he turned back toward the door.

“How did that paper come out? What did you get?”

Blaine paused, his hand now resting on the doorknob, and looked toward his father whose gaze was still fixed on the water glass “Well, we haven’t gotten them back yet, but I feel like I did pretty well.”

Briefly, Mr. Anderson lifted his eyes to meet those of his son who was still gripping the knob to the front door. “I’m curious to see what you get on that paper, son. Let me know when the professor hands them back.”

Blaine nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. “Sure. I’ll make sure to do that, dad.”

Before Mr. Anderson could say anything else, Blaine opened the front door and stepped outside.

English passed by in a blur. Blaine snuck little texts to Kurt complaining about how monotone his professor’s voice was (“I swear it’s like I’m watching a Clear Eye’s commercial! >.<”) to which Kurt replied with something as equally witty as it was empathetic. A couple of times Blaine had a hard time suppressing his laughter because Kurt had sent him pictures of things he’d seen while out running errands with his grandmother.

When his professor finally dismissed the class, Blaine swung his bag over his shoulder and walked down toward the café where he’d planned to meet Paul.

“Blainers!” Paul sang upon seeing his friend. “Still texting Kurt, I see?”

Blaine looked up from his phone as a blush swept across his face.  “Is it that obvious?”

Paul chuckled, ushering Blaine towards the doors of the café. “You’ve only been texting him nonstop for the past week. That and that stupid smile you always get when your phone goes off give you away.”

Blaine sighed as he shoved his phone into his back pocket. “He’s so…. Great, Paul. I don’t know how else to put it.”

“Go on….” Paul encouraged, gesturing for Blaine to elaborate.

“I don’t know…” Blaine mused. “He’s just… we kinda click. It’s only early, but it’s like… he’s almost too good to be true. He makes me laugh, he doesn’t seem to mind my being so completely and totally socially awkward –“

“You’re not completely socially awkward, Blaine,” Paul interjected. “I mean I’ll be the first to say that you are painfully shy when it comes to these things, but I wouldn’t go as far to say you’re ‘completely and totally socially awkward.’”

“…Whatever,” Blaine responded, waving Paul’s comment off as irrelevant. “He’s just really amazing so far.”

“So… Are you going to see him again? I mean, have you guys talked about that at all?” Paul asked as they settled into the line that had formed in front of the cashier.

Blaine thought about the question for a moment. He wanted to see Kurt again and he was sure that Kurt wanted to see him. The problem was that he wasn’t sure of whether or not that would be a good idea. He really didn’t need the distraction from school and he knew for a fact that if his father were to find out about any “extra-curricular activities” he would never see the end of it.

“I don’t know… I want to,” Blaine answered, staring out of the large window of the café. “I just… I told you this already. Kurt’s a distraction that I’m not sure I really need right now. I like him, but I’m trying to focus on what is important in life. Right now, school is important and I’m struggling enough as it is.”

Paul groaned. “Sometimes, Blaine, you annoy the shit out of me. You know that right?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t go putting walls up on me when I say this, okay?” Paul began, looking Blaine in the eye.

Blaine sighed knowing all too well exactly where this conversation was going. He knew Paul was going to venture into that zone they both went out of their way to avoid; that area of conversation that made the both of them uncomfortable, but sometimes needed to be addressed. But Blaine nodded nonetheless and motioned for Paul to continue because he knew that Paul was only bringing the topic up because he cared.  

“Okay,” Paul began. “I know you are hell bent on getting your father’s approval, but you shouldn’t let him govern every decision you make. You should do things for yourself as well.”

“I do things for myself,” Blaine argued already wanting the conversation to be over. “I’m going here aren’t I?”

Paul sighed. “Yeah, you are. But you’re also driving yourself insane trying to get your dad to approve of your decision. You did it for yourself, but you aren’t exactly enjoying it.”

They moved up in line as Paul watched Blaine’s face for any sort of a reaction. When he didn’t get one right away he decided to continue on with what he was going to say.

“All I’m saying is this and then we can be done with this because we both know you hate talking about it. Kurt seems to make you happy. If that’s the case you should see him again. Get to know him better. You don’t have to marry the guy, just see how things work out. If they do, great and if they don’t… well, at least you had some fun.”

Blaine looked up at Paul, worry filling his eyes. “What if he finds out though… I know you remember what happened after Jeremiah. He was fucking livid, Paul. I told you what he said. ‘Not while I’m living under his roof’ those were his words. Texting him the way that I am is already a pretty big deal. If I were to date the guy...”

Paul was just about to respond when the cashier cleared her throat. Blaine sighed and gave her his order and handing over a five when she told him his total. Paul followed suit and met Blaine over by the pick-up station while they waited for their coffees.

Blaine’s face was still etched with worry when Paul met up with him. He was just about to concede and tell Blaine that it was okay if he didn’t want to see Kurt; that he understood that he was scared and he didn’t have to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with. But then Blaine got a text message and Paul saw the smile that immediately found its way to Blaine’s lips and he knew that this was too good of an opportunity for his friend to pass up.

“I know I said we could drop the subject before but, please, just listen to me real quick and then you can get back to your boy toy. I promise, okay?” Paul said with a knowing smile.

Blaine looked up from his phone and nodded.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I’m not going to force you to go out with Kurt. All I know is that this could be a good thing for you and I don’t want you to regret passing up on something that could potentially make you happy because you’re afraid of your father. Besides, it’s not like you have to tell your dad that you’re seeing him. What he doesn’t know won’t kill him.”

Blaine’s eyes drifted back to his phone re-reading the message that Kurt had just sent him as he thought about what Paul had said. 

From: Kurt

6:07 pm

I was out for a walk a few minutes ago and I saw this guy with curly hair and I got excited because I thought it was you. But then I realized that it wasn’t and I made myself sad L

He looked back up at Paul and exhaled as he met the eyes of his best friend. “I guess.” He smiled fondly at the phrase. “What my father doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Later that night Blaine found himself, sitting up in bed, staring down at his phone. All he had to do was press the call button and he would hear the ring of a telephone on the other line before Kurt’s small hello would filter into his ear. It was all very simple, but that didn’t stop the fear from brewing in the pit of Blaine’s stomach.

It was a big deal, taking the initiative to see Kurt again.

Blaine exhaled and looked up for the umpteenth time to make sure his bedroom door was, indeed, closed before tapping the call button on his phone. He placed it to his ear and waited for Kurt to answer.

“Hello?”

“Kurt, hey,” Blaine responded, his voice wavering a little.

“Blaine.” The smile he could sense in Kurt’s voice caused Blaine to relax a little, as he sunk into his seat against the headboard of his bed.

“I uh… I hope you don’t mind that I called.”

“No,” Kurt responded. “I’m a little surprised, but I must say it’s good to hear your voice.”

Blaine felt his face grow hot at Kurt’s words and he was immediately glad that Kurt wasn’t there to see him blush so easily.  “Well, uh… I was just calling because um… well, I was wondering…” Blaine was fumbling for the right words to say. He hadn’t asked anyone out since Jeremiah and he couldn’t help but to feel as if this could end just as badly.

“Blaine? Is everything alright?” Kurt asked sounding slightly worried.

“Yeah, yeah,” Blaine answered. “I just wanted to ask if you wanted to, you know, uh… do something with me on Friday? Maybe see a movie or…” he trailed off, unsure of how to finish that last sentence. He hadn’t actually planned anything.

“Sure,” Kurt replied. “I’d like that.”

The boys decided on a movie to see that Friday night, Blaine telling Kurt that he could pick him up around six so they could grab a bite to eat beforehand.

 “Good,” Blaine said, still a little shocked at how well everything was going. “Well, then um… yeah. Good. I guess we’ll be seeing each other on Friday then.”

Kurt chuckled on the other end. “I guess we will be.”

After a quick, slightly awkward, goodbye Blaine hung up the phone as his lips curving upward as he smiled down at the phone. He looked toward his bedroom door, the smile never leaving his lips. Paul was right; what his father didn’t know definitely wouldn’t hurt him.