“Blaine are you ready?” Kurt’s voice filled the apartment, reaching me in our bedroom.

“Yeah just give me a minute. I can’t find my hat.” I was rummaging through the draws in my dresser. I had left my hat somewhere and now I couldn’t find it. I heard footsteps approaching and then the door swung open.

“Don’t yell. You’ll hurt your head.” Kurt looked at me, his expression concerned.

“You yelled at me first.” I smirked, looking up at him.

“Honestly Blaine? You aren’t a 5 year old.” I could see that Kurt was trying to be serious but he wasn’t doing a very good job at keeping his face straight.

“Have you seen my hat? I can’t go out without it, my head would probably crystalize.” It was only mid-September but I was constantly cold. The chemo was to blame for that. The chemo was also to blame for me losing all my hair.

“I left it on the coat rack because I knew you’d need it.”

“Don’t you know me so well.” I said, grinning at Kurt.

“I like to think I do.” He said back, smiling at me, or maybe it was more of a smirk.

***

We left the apartment, hand in hand, and headed for Central Park. Our apartment was located right beside it so it only took us 5 minutes to get there. This had been our routine for months. The first time had been the day we had found out I had cancer. I’d left the apartment needing some air and had decided to go for a walk around Central Park. I’d done it alone for the next few days, but then Kurt had joined me, ignoring my request to be alone. He did not see how it was doing me any good to mope around by myself. He said that at least if he was there I would have some gorgeous arm candy to make everyone jealous with. He was such a blessing. His sense of humour has been one of the only things that has gotten me through these past months.

We had reached the park now and were strolling down the path. Kurt was talking about something that had happened at work the other day. Some girl had pitched an idea at the staff meeting about trying leather underwear. The disgust was evident when he spoke and when I looked over at him, his face was twisted into a pained expression. He looked back at me and then his face turned from pained to quizzical, probably because I was grinning. He could be so dramatic sometimes. Then it turned to something else though, worry.

“You’re so pale. Let’s sit down, I don’t want you to faint.” Kurt started pulling on my hand, leading me towards a bench.

“I’m fine. I feel fine.” I tried resisting but he was too strong for me.

“Fine isn’t good enough. Come sit.” He gave one final tug and I started following him to the bench. We sat ourselves down and he looked me over.

“Did you take your medication today? Or have you not eaten enough? Maybe we shouldn’t walk as far any more. You should be resting.” His hand came up to my face, feeling my cheeks and forehead. “You’re ice cold Blaine. We should go back. You’ll freeze to death out here.” He stood to leave but I reached up and pulled him back down.

“Just wait a minute. I want to stay here for a bit. I never leave the apartment anymore.” I had no intention of returning just yet. I only left because of doctors appointments now a days and I wasn’t about to lose my one opportunity to go outside.

We remained there in silence for a while. Kurt sat stiffly next to me, back straight. I scooted closer to him, leaning my head on his shoulder and encasing his hands in mine.

“Do you remember how we met?” I asked.

“Yeah. It was right here wasn’t it?” Kurt turned to look at me them, wondering where this was going. Then he said, almost to himself, “That was one of the best days of my life.”

“Well, if I remember correctly, it didn’t start out as the best day ever.” I looked at him, seeing if he remembered too. “I was sitting on that bench right over there.” I pointed across the path at a bench that was currently occupied by a mom and her daughter. “I usually came here to drink my coffee every Saturday. I’d seen you walk by before but for some reason you really caught my attention that day. You were walking down the path and I remember how the sun shone down and it lit you up. You were almost like an angel. You had your head down and some guy was walking towards you and you guys bumped into each other. His coffee spilt all over you clothes and he didn’t even apologize, he said something though-“

“Maybe that’ll help you tone down the outfit fairy.” Kurt’s eyes drifting over to the bench, almost as if he were reliving the memory.

“Yeah, that. I remember wanting nothing more than to go up to him and punch him right in the face. God, you looked so upset. You started mumbling under your breath and I was trying to rack my brain for any way I could help you.”

***

“Excuse me?” This is a terrible idea. He’s probably going to think I’m some creep. Please don’t let him think I’m a creep.

The man in front of me looked up. His blue eyes-where they blue, maybe it was green-looking at me.

“Can I help you with something? I have somewhere to be in 5 minutes and some jackass just spilt his coffee on me and-why am I even telling you all this?” The man got a bit flustered and went back to fussing over his shirt.

“I just wanted to know if you needed any help. I saw, and heard, what that man did.”

“No I’m fine. I can manage on my own, thank you very much.” The man started to walk away now, his hips swaying as he went. I wasn’t going to lose this opportunity. I had been building up my courage to talk to him for weeks. I don’t think I’d ever be able to do it again if I walked away right now.

I ran after him.

“Hey, wait up.” I yelled, hoping I’d get his attention. Once I caught up I spoke again. “There’s a really good dry cleaners just up the street. I can show you where.” I nodded my head in the direction I meant.

“Wha-why are you helping me?” He looked so shocked by the fact that someone wanted to aid him. What had happened to him that made him think that there were no nice people left on this planet?

“I hate how you got treated. And don’t think I’m pitying you. I’ve had my share of abuse and I know it doesn’t make it better when people pity you. Like they think you’re less than them or something.”

“I’m sure you have somewhere to be right now. I’ll be fine.” I tried walking away again but this time I walked alongside him, keeping pace.

“I don’t actually. Have anywhere to be that is. I’d be happy to show you the way.” I hoped to god that I wasn’t being to persistent right now.

“Alright. Fine.” He voice sounded defeated.

“Really? Okay. It’s this way.” I started leading him towards the street. “I’m Blaine by the way. Blaine Anderson.”

“Kurt Hummel.” He responded.

“Well Kurt Hummel, has anyone ever told you that you have the most gorgeous eyes ever?”

***

We had been walking for about 10 minutes when I spotted the dry cleaners up ahead. So far I had learned that Kurt was interning at Vogue and taking classes at NYADA. His initial frustration had melted away and a confident young man had emerged.

“Blaine, can I ask you something?” he looked over at me, his eyes locking onto mine giving me the feeling that this was something serious.

“Yeah, shoot.” I stuck my hands in my pockets then, trying to hide the fact that they were shaking. I didn’t even know why I was so nervous.

“You said that, and tell me if I’m over stepping… that you had been abused… I was just wondering…” Kurt sort of trailed o then, and I thought I had an idea where this was going.

“My dad never accepted me. He had-has lots of anger problems, and because in his mind I was “sick”, or “incorrect”, he thought it would be okay to take it out on me.” I had never really talked about this stuff with anyone before, so the fact that I was admitting it to a total stranger was shocking to me.

“Was it because-did he do it bec-”

“I’m gay.” I had no clue what was making me say all this. I haven’t even know this guy for thirty minutes. God, just go ahead and tell him your whole life story why don’t you.

“Oh. Me too.” Hearing him say that gave me this giddy feeling. I had to remind myself that just because he’s gay does not mean he’s going to like me.

We stopped outside the shop and I felt a sense of dread. Kurt was going to walk into the dry cleaners and I would go back to my dorm and probably never see him again. Of course he might be at the park, but he could forget about this entire encounter and forget all about me as well. I had to do something or I would hate myself forever.

He beat me to it though.

“Blaine could I-would you… could I have your number?” Kurt wasn’t even looking at me. His eyes where focused on the ground, his cheeks flushed. I didn’t know if that was caused by the autumn breeze or maybe something else, something like me. Maybe he was just as nervous as I was, just better at hiding it.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” I responded, laughing slightly.

“Oh, well great minds think alike.” He paused and then said, “I can put my number in your phone and then you can text me, if that works for you.” It sounded like more of a question then a statement though.

“Yeah, here you go.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to him.

“Cute case.” My cheeks instantly turned red. On my case there was a picture of a stuffed dog wearing a bow tie. It had been a gift from Cooper as a joke. I’d liked it though and had decided to use it.

“Oh, uh thanks.” He looked up, smiling, when I finished spoke. His entire face lit up with it, his eyes twinkling.

“I really enjoyed talking to you. And thanks for the help. I might still be able to save my shirt thanks to you.” Kurt handed my phone back to me. When I reached for it our hands brushed and we both lingered there. I pulled away first and then he followed, both of our eyes downcast.

‘So I’ll text you. Coffee maybe?” I know they always say to wait a few days before you text or call someone after a first date, not that this had been a date. I didn’t have the patience to do that though, and what if Kurt changed his mind in the span of a few days.

“Yeah, that sounds great. Just tell me when.” He started walking backwards then, heading for the door.

“Goodbye Kurt.” I said, not wanting him to go. I had enjoyed talking more than I thought I would. More than I probably should have.

“Goodbye Blaine.” And with that he slipped in the door and I turned and started walking away. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check to see what his number was and saw that he’d added himself into my phone as ‘The blued eyed beauty’. I had the sudden urge to start skipping down the street or squeal like a little kid who’d just found out they were going to Disneyland. Kurt Hummel was a sassy one and I could not wait until I saw him again.