Just when he thought that New York couldn’t get more perfect, he stumbled upon Blaine.

*

It was a rainy day, the humidity making his hair curl unpleasantly, and once out of classes Kurt immediately sought the refuge of the small caf� right outside campus.

He was waiting in line when he spotted him, sitting in the furthest corner, a book opened in front of him and a pair of glasses perched precariously on the tip of his nose.

It had been a long time since Kurt had thought a guy was cute and definitely the guy immersed in his book was the cutest he had ever seen. Blinking his way back to reality, he ordered his non-fat mocha and spent the wait for his coffee stealing glances of the man. Kurt noticed he bit his lower lip now and then, probably out of concentration; he couldn’t help thinking the stranger had beautiful lips, plush and surely soft.

Clutching his cup a bit tighter, he made his way to his usual table near the window, right next to the reading beauty. As he sat down, the guy lifted his gaze and Kurt couldn’t help staring. His eyes were big even behind the lenses, warm and the colour of caramel or milk chocolate. The guy smiled and Kurt’s heart fluttered like butterfly wings. He forced himself to smile back, knowing that his cheeks must be completely red.

“Hi.”

Kurt blinked, the guy’s voice was warm like his eyes, soft and rich; Kurt thought he would be a perfect singer.

“H-Hi.”

And really he wished he hadn’t stammered, but these things didn’t happen to him; beautiful men noticing him and talking to him like that.

“You’re a student at Tisch, right?”

Kurt quirked an eyebrow.

“Yes, costume design.”

The stranger’s smile grew bigger.

“I knew it!”

“You mean you know me?”

“Well, I study musical theatre writing and I passed you a few times in the hallways since the beginning of the semester.”

The guy’s cheeks grew redder and his voice was barely a whisper when he spoke again.

“You’re not easy to miss.”

Kurt’s fingers tightened around the cup; he didn’t know how to interpret the guy’s words. Back in Lima he had been all too used to disgusted stares following him as he walked along McKinley’s hallways, always sticking out, always different.

The guy must have guessed what he was thinking because his eyes grew wide and he forcefully shook his head, curls bouncing slightly.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just that…well, you’re beautiful.”

Kurt’s mouth fell open and for an instant he was sure he had lost control of his whole body. The guy passed a hand through his hair and groaned softly.

“Oh God, now you’ll think I’m some kind of freak. I swear I’m not a stalker and I’m sorry, I tend to blurt out things without thinking and…”

He was adorable, all flushed and rambling and Kurt couldn’t contain a chuckle.

“No, don’t worry, you just…took me by surprise, that’s all.”

The guy flashed him a relieved smile before lowering his gaze again. Kurt focused his attention on the bottom of his cup, willing his heartbeat to slow down. When he lifted his gaze again the guy was looking at him.

“Do…do you mind if I sit with you?”

Kurt tried to answer but his tongue didn’t seem to cooperate so he simply nodded. The stranger collected his book and cup and stood up. Kurt took in the red cardigan and the blue bowtie he was wearing. Adorable and at the same time so gorgeous that Kurt almost couldn’t believe he was real.

“I’m Blaine, by the way.”

Kurt looked at the man’s hand, tanned and broad. It was warm against his when he took it.

“I’m Kurt. Nice to meet you.”

It was easy to lose track of time talking with Blaine; he was funny and bright and smiled with the force of ten suns. Since he arrived in New York and started attending Tisch he had met people like him, with dreams too big to be contained, who had started reading Vogue as soon as they found out about its existence, who loved Broadway with passion. But Blaine was like no one he had ever met. He spoke about music with such a quiet passion, his eyes shining with the force of it. He spoke about it as though it was part of him and the more they talked, the more Kurt found that he wanted to know Blaine. To discover how he was like when he was growing up, what his true dreams were. It was scary somehow; having always been so guarded when it came to himself, to his past and to his deepest desires, almost afraid that the world could break them. And he still was, especially after he had already tripped on reality when he hadn’t gotten into NYADA and had had to reshape a new path for himself.

When Blaine told him he used to be in his school’s glee club and that once becoming a singer had been his biggest dream Kurt couldn’t prevent a small sad smile from quirking his lips.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Kurt shook his head.

“Not at all. It’s just that singing used to be my dream too.”

Blaine nodded and smiled.

“My grandmother used to say that the beautiful thing about dreams is that they may change but the remain made of magic.”

Kurt took a gulp of his now cold coffee, his heart weirdly lighter.

Making his way back to his apartment, Blaine’s number memorized in his mobile phone and the warmth of his hand still making his fingertips tingle, Kurt thought that Blaine was exactly the person he had been waiting for when he was still in Lima, a boy dreaming about a gentle and loving boyfriend.

Even though he knew it was unwise to fall for someone he had just met, that didn’t change the fact that he spent the whole ride on the underground smiling at the tunnels sliding by behind the windows, hoping to meet Blaine on campus the following day.