Sunday, June 24 – Saturday, June 30

Keeping their relationship a secret seemed to be easier than Kurt had anticipated.  For starters, Blaine had been right in pointing out that everyone at camp was already used to seeing them practically joined at the hip.  In fact, the first comment anyone made about noticing a change in their relationship was the exact opposite of what Kurt had expected.

Mark came up to him after dinner on Sunday, looking concerned.  “Is everything all right with you and Blaine?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Kurt, hoping he was only imagining that his voice sounded more high-pitched than usual.  “Why wouldn't it be?”

“I don't know,” said Mark.  “But he left after dinner without waiting for you.  And I haven't seen the two of you holding hands under the table for the last couple of days.  I thought maybe you were having a fight.”

“Oh, uh, no,” Kurt said, trying to sound casual.  “He's still my best friend.  No need to worry about us.”

Back in their bunkhouse, Blaine laughed when Kurt told him what had happened.  “See?” he said, sounding smug.  “I told you we didn't need to hide.  If we just act natural, no one will suspect a thing.”

“Well,” said Kurt, not willing to totally concede the point, “there are some things we'd better not do in public.”

“Agreed,” Blaine said with a wink, “so it's a good thing we're not in public right now.”

And with that, he pulled Kurt, laughing, in for a kiss.

Later that evening, Kurt sat next to Blaine at the campfire, trying not to feel like everyone was looking at them.  Blaine leaned into him, whispering in his ear, “You look like you're sitting on a cactus.  Just relax and have a good time.”

So, Kurt tried to relax, and pretty soon he actually was having a good time.  He sang along with the campfire songs, even putting in requests for a couple of his old favorites.

Towards the end of the evening, Cory asked, “Hey, Blaine, do you have anything new to play for us?”

“Well, not new, exactly, but at least it wasn't written in the 19th century, like most of the songs we've been singing.”

“Well, c'mon then, play it for us.”

As he listened, entranced, to the first clear notes, Kurt thought that if anyone could perform a James Taylor song and make it sound better than the original, it must be Blaine.

Well, there is a young cowboy, he lives on the range

His horse and his cattle are his only companions

He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons

Waiting for summer, his pastures to change

And as the moon rises he sits by his fire

Thinking about women and glasses of beer

And closing his eyes as the doggies retire

He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear

As if maybe someone could hear…

Kurt joined in on the chorus, falling easily into a harmony.  He could tell that Blaine was singing directly to him, and in that moment he didn't care whether everybody knew it.  

On Monday morning, Kurt and Blaine were back to work in earnest.  The classes were easier for them to teach this week.  This was due in part to their greater experience, and in part to the fact that several of the boys had stayed over from the previous week.  Having some of the same students meant that they had fewer names, faces, and personalities to learn.  It also meant that they could call on the more experienced boys to demonstrate skills for the others.

Although their work may have been easier, though, it was certainly no less time-consuming.  Every morning began with the round-up.  After breakfast, they taught the advanced riding class, led the intermediate group on a trail ride, and then taught the beginners riding class.  After lunch they had the beginners trail ride, the intermediate riding class, and the advanced trail ride, which ended with just enough time for them to un-tack their horses before dinner.  

They had an hour's free time each evening after dinner, and then it was on to the campfire.  By the time the campfire ended at 8:30, Kurt and Blaine were worn out.  Even if Kurt hadn't insisted on taking things slowly, they probably wouldn't have had the energy to do much more than shower, brush their teeth, change into their pajamas, and read to each other, before they fell asleep.

Kurt viewed the hour between dinner and the campfire as his golden opportunity to spend quality time with Blaine.  As soon as they finished eating on Monday, he hustled Blaine out of the dining hall, saying, “C'mere.  I've got something I have to show you.”

“What?” Blaine asked, hurrying along behind him.

“Wait ‘til we get back to the bunkhouse, and you'll find out,” Kurt told him with a wink.

Blaine broke into a run, laughing and pulling Kurt along the deserted path through the woods.  By the time they were inside their bunkhouse with the door safely shut, both boys were out of breath.

Blaine pushed Kurt up against the inside of the door, kissing him more passionately than he had yet dared.

Kurt had heard of French kissing, of course, but the thought of doing it had never tempted him.  The idea of sticking his tongue into another person's mouth had always struck Kurt as faintly disgusting.  Not to mention unsanitary.

Now, though, with Blaine licking hungrily at the edges of his lips, Kurt began to see the appeal.  He parted his lips slightly and allowed Blaine to deepen the kiss.   

As Blaine began exploring Kurt's mouth with his tongue, Kurt moaned and fisted one of his hands in Blaine's hair.  With his other hand, he grabbed Blaine around the waist, pulling their hips together.

The second he felt Blaine's erection press against his own, though, Kurt gasped and pushed Blaine away.

Blaine jumped back quickly, saying, “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”  He looked as if he was afraid that Kurt was about to start yelling at him, as he had the other night.

“Blaine, calm down.  It's okay,” Kurt said, trying to catch his breath.  “I just need to cool off for a minute, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Blaine said, and Kurt noticed that he was panting slightly, as well.  “I really wasn't trying to push you, I promise.”

“Blaine, I said it's okay,” Kurt repeated.  “It's not your fault.  I just got a little carried away.”  

Then, hearing his own words, Kurt laughed and said, “Well, I guess it is your fault that I got a little carried away, but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” Blaine said, looking relieved.  “No problem.”

“So, can we take that from the top?  But maybe with a little less tongue?”

“Sure,” Blaine smiled, moving back in to give Kurt a chaste peck.

“I didn't say no tongue,” Kurt complained.

“Picky, picky, picky,” Blaine teased.  But he made up for it a second later by giving Kurt a kiss that was just right.

Tuesday after dinner found Kurt and Blaine similarly engaged.  At quarter after seven, Blaine let out a frustrated sigh.  “It's not fair that I have to go to the campfire tonight and you don't.  Come with me.”

“Blaine, I can't.  It would look really suspicious if I showed up on my night off.”

“But I'll miss you,” Blaine whined.

“Oh, come on,” Kurt teased. “Put on your big-boy pants and go sing some songs.  I'll be right here when you get back.”

“You're mean,” Blaine said with a pout.  But then he winked at Kurt and gave him one final kiss before heading out the door.

When Blaine returned, Kurt was freshly showered and wearing his pajamas.  Blaine burst gleefully through the door, calling out, “Hi, Honey, I'm home.”

“Cheesy, Blaine.”

“Hey, don't call me ‘cheesy,' mister.  I'm the best boyfriend in the whole world.  Look what I brought you.”

Blaine handed Kurt a stack of graham crackers wrapped around toasted marshmallows and half-melted chocolate.

“Yum!  S'mores!”

“And I even brought you milk,” Blaine said proudly, producing a half-pint carton.

“Yup,” said Kurt around a mouthful of s'mores.  “Best boyfriend ever.”

On Thursday night, Kurt, not to be outdone, brought s'mores back from the campfire for Blaine.  He found his boyfriend (a word which still made Kurt feel giddy at the very thought) lounging on the top bunk, looking unusually relaxed.  Blaine startled when he noticed Kurt, popping up to a sitting position with an almost guilty expression on his face.

“Hey, Blaine, what'cha been doing?” Kurt asked, although he thought he had a pretty good idea.

“Just daydreaming about you,” Blaine answered, smiling.

“Well, stop your daydreaming, ‘cause I'm back.  And I brought s'mores.”

“Yay!” Blaine cried, hopping down from his bunk and giving Kurt a kiss before taking the proffered treats.

The weekend finally arrived, and with it came 27 hours (from noon Saturday until 3:00 on Sunday) of completely unstructured time.  Kurt and Blaine spent Saturday afternoon out on the trail with their horses, talking, laughing, and singing to each other.  

The fact that Blaine was really his boyfriend was finally beginning to sink in to Kurt's brain.  It was becoming hard for him to imagine things being any other way.

On Saturday evening, both boys were showered and changed into their pajamas by 7:00.  It had been a long week, and Kurt was looking forward to a quiet evening relaxing together.  Tiny alarm bells began going off in his head, however, when Blaine approached him with a serious expression, saying, “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Of course,” Kurt said, trying not to let the worry he was suddenly feeling show in his voice.  “You know you can always talk to me about anything.”

“You know how we've been best friends for ten years?” Blaine began.

“Mm hmm,” Kurt agreed, not sure where this was going.

“And you know how we've always told each other everything?”

“Mm hmm.”

“Well, there's something I've never told you.  And I feel like I need to say it now.”

“Blaine, it's okay,” Kurt said as calmly as he could, while a million worst-case scenarios flitted through his mind.  “You know you can tell me anything.”

“Kurt, I love you.”

“What?”

“I love you.”

“Wait – that's it?!  That's your big thing that you had to tell me?  I love you, too!  I can't believe we've never said that before.  I was all prepared for you to confess that you were a serial killer, or something.” 

“You love me too?”

“Of course I love you, Blaine.  I've loved you since we were eight years old.  How could you possibly think that I didn't?”

“But, Kurt, I think I'm falling in love with you.”

“Well, good.  ‘Cause I'm falling in love with you, too.  Now shut up and kiss me.”