He thinks about all the sketches piled on his desk at work, about how Damian is going to get mad at him because he didn’t add the last details to the collection, and he feels light, lighter than he has felt for a long time, indeed.

The cold wind slaps his face hard; Kurt has the sensation that he should wake up from some kind of dream. The snow gets stuck to his hair, to his eyelashes, but he keeps walking down the road until he is standing at the limits of the beach. His coat and his Alexander McQueen scarf aren’t enough to keep him from shivering to the bone. He feels crazy, as he has never felt in his life before- his fingers curl around his mobile phone in his pocket, but he finds that he doesn’t remember whom he thought to call.
He sighs and starts walking; the sand is grey as the sky and Kurt sinks a bit with every step. A weird sensation bubbles at the bottom of his stomach. He fishes his mobile phone out of his pocket and dials Mercedes’ number.

“Hey, boo! What’s up?”

“Hi, ‘Cedes. I…I just wanted to hear from you.”

“That’s sweet of you, Kurtie. But aren’t you supposed to be in the middle of sketching for that deadline?”

The wind tugs at his hair.

“Well, yeah, but instead I’m in Montauk!”

Kurt looks around him; there’s no one else on the beach, it feels a bit like being out of the world.

“What? And what are you doing there, boo?”

Kurt shrugs even though Mercedes can’t see him.

“I…I don’t know, really…”

“You sure you’re alright?”

“I..I guess so? Well, I’ll go now. I’ll call you later.”

“Bye, Boo.”

Even though it’s cold and a part of him is screaming at him to go back home for God’s sake, Kurt keeps walking until he ends up in front of a small diner. The paint on the wooden walls is peeling away and the glass of the windows is misted.

He sits in a corner and orders a coffee. Looking around the room, he realizes that the place is oddly calming- his shoulders relax from the first time since he hopped on that train, maybe for the first time in weeks. There’s no one else inside, except for a man sat a few tables away; Kurt’s gaze lingers over his hair, curls springing in every direction.

When the other man lifts his gaze, Kurt quickly drops his, focusing on the bottom of his mug, not before having noticed the soft hazel shade of the man’s eyes.

*

Kurt really doesn’t know what got to him today. Waiting for a train to come and bring him back to New York, he looks at the high tension wires cutting through the pale sky; it’s weird how familiar this place feels, even though he has never been here since he moved to New York for college- more or less seven years ago now.

*

Once on board, he sits and buries his cold hands deeper inside his pockets. He is looking out of the window when the cracking of the old seat in front of him tells him that someone just sat down. He doesn’t like it when people sit too close to him, especially strangers, especially on weird days like today.
Out of instinct he turns to get a look at the passenger who’ll probably drag him in a really dull and unnerving conversation. He blinks as his gaze lands on the man who was at the diner before. The man has his hands clasped in his lap and is enveloped in a blue coat. He smiles, a small, almost shy smile, and Kurt quirks an eyebrow.

“Hi.”

The stranger voice is strangely deep and soft. It seems to come right out of an old black and white movie. Kurt shakes his head slightly, he knew that useless conversation would ensue, and yet…yet it’s as though he can’t manage to feel completely annoyed.

“Um…hi?”

The stranger smiles again, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Kurt feels the tip of his ears growing hotter as the first word that pops into his mind is “cute”.

“Er…do you want me to move away?”

Kurt is slightly taken aback by the worry in the other man’s voice. He shakes his head, because, even though he finds it quite strange, spending the ride back with this man doesn’t seem such a bad idea. God, he sure has woken up all weird this morning!

“Good! You seem someone interesting to talk too, man!”

Kurt quirks an eyebrow; no one has called him like that except for Puck back in high school.

“Well, thank you, I guess?”

The other man nods as he leans forward in his seat- a bundle of energy and a collection of huge grins. Kurt briefly wonders how is it even possible that a person so friendly with strangers exists. Curly Head- because Kurt has this need to address person by names and if they lack by nick names- bites his lower lip.

“Do…do I know you from somewhere?”

Kurt opens his mouth and then closes it. Now that Curly has stated it, indeed he has the feeling that they’ve already met somewhere. Maybe at the firm? No, the other’s taste in clothes, from what he can tell from the old coat and the bowtie appearing underneath it, wasn’t actually the one of a person who frequented a fashion firm.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Curly tilts his head to the side, his hair catching the white light splashing through the window.

“Mmm maybe you’re right. I’ve the feeling that I’ve seen you already, though.”

Kurt shrugs, as he tries to push away a weird buzzing feeling that has took residence in his head.

“Oh, I’m Blaine, by the way.”

For a brief instant Kurt wonders if he is getting sick because his skin is tingling and, though not completely unpleasant, surely it is weird to feel like this after someone has introduced himself to you, right?

“I’m Kurt.”

“That’s a nice name, Kurt.”

Blaine puts drags the u a bit, and Kurt wonders why he even notices things like this.

“Thanks. You sure know how to play the gentleman!”

Blaine fakes a hurt expression and Kurt can’t help smiling.

“I’ll let you know that I’m a perfect gentleman, Kurt!”

“I’m sure you are.”

And, God! Why is he even flirting with this stranger?

It’s…he doesn’t do this. He presses a hand to his forehead, hoping to have a fever or something.

Blaine is out of his seat in an instant, his hand pushing Kurt’s away and pressing against his skin. Kurt swallows- his eyes wide and now staring at Blaine’s neck.

“Mmm you don’t seem to have a temperature. Are you not feeling well?”

Kurt hears Blaine’s words, but all he can think about is why he isn’t pushing Blaine away. He would have screamed to any stranger touching him like that.

“I…I don’t know.”

Blaine is about to say something when the speaker say that they’re about to arrive at the Central Station. Blaine’s hand slides away from his forehead and Kurt lifts his gaze to look at him- another shy smile is stretching Blaine’s lips. It’s weird how familiar these smiles feel.

When they’re out on the platform, Kurt feels heavy, as though he doesn’t want to go back home just yet. Blaine squeezes his shoulder gently.

“You promise me you’ll go back home and have a good rest if you’re not feeling well?”

“S-sure.”

Blaine beams at him before giving a last squeeze.

“Alright, see you around then, Kurt!”.

“See you around.”

The other man has already disappeared among the people moving all around when Kurt adds a whispered “Blaine” that gets instantly swallowed by the sounds of the station.