The next day, Blaine arrived extra early, ordered a peppermint mocha with no whip, and was pleased to find the seating area empty. Perfect! He could sit down and flip through the paper, and take note of when Kurt normally arrived. Then on Monday, hed time his arrival accordingly, deciding the plan to have small talk at barista area worth a try. 

Hmmm... Should he sit at the table right beside Kurts normal one? Would Kurt still sit at his normal one if someone else was nearby? Or would he pick one further away to have his space? Feeling a little daring, Blaine picked the closest table.

His heart pounded every time the cafe door opened, looking up to see if it was Kurt. But by the time Blaine normally arrived at the cafe, he still hadnt shown up. 

For the first weekday in a couple weeks, it looked like Kurt wasnt coming in. Blaine felt let down. 

His mocha was finished, and Blaine had time before he needed to leave for work. In the off chance Kurt was running late, Blaine decided to linger, but he wasnt watching the door anymore. 

Looking around the cafe, he really took note of it for the first time. In the past, hed simply grabbed his medium drip and left, too preoccupied with his phone while in line to look around much. Once hed noticed Kurt, he was too preoccupied with Kurt to notice anything else. 

It was actually quite a large space. The cafe area was only about a quarter of the area, in one corner near the doorway. The washrooms were halfway down the wall, next to the cafe. The rest of the space was darker, not lit up, obviously not open for business at this early hour. 

Looking closer, Blaine saw it was a bookstore. Tall shelves circled the walls, and shorter shelves filled in the floor space. Tables were here and there, with stacks of books on them. There was a cash desk area also. 

It looked like the cafe and bookshop shared the seating area, full of lots of small cafe tables and chairs, with a large couch and two plush chairs near a fireplace. Off to one side, there was a small raised platform, with a single chair on it. 

Funny how hed been here so many times, and never peered into the darkened area of the shop before. Maybe he should stop by after work sometime, and see the place in action. Lights all on and customers everywhere. 

---
That night, after work, Blaine headed back. Maybe it was a vain hope that Kurt had been busy, and maybe, just maybe, hed be in the cafe now with his big book. Blaine missed not seeing him today, as silly as it was. 

Blaine shook his head. He really needed to work in getting a life outside of work. That part of his life had settled down a lot, now that he was more comfortable in his role, and he could leave at a regular time. He just needed a reason to do so. 

Walking through the cafe, he could see it was quiet at this time of day, and a different person was behind the counter. People were sitting in the seating area in groups, talking and having fun. There was none of the urgency of the morning customers, rushing off to their work. But no Kurt, unfortunately. 

The bookstore area was definitely open, and Blaine walked around, getting the vibe of the place. It was a used bookstore, but very well stocked and organized. There was a whole table devoted to book clubs, with ten copies of a paperback tied up with ribbon and a colorful tag, with a list of ten discussion questions. Interesting gift ideas were tucked into the tables and shelves amongst the books, like a table full of colorful Dr Seuss books and plush versions of The Grinch, The Cat in the Hat and other characters. 

A young woman with long curly blond hair bounced up to Blaine. "Hi! Did you find your heart yet?" 

Blaine just looked at her, confused. "My heart?"

She smiled broadly. "Oh, you are new here! Great!" She waved around the store. "Here at Fitzpatrick's, we celebrate books. So, we give you a little pink paper heart each time you come in that you can stick onto a book you have read and want to recommend." 

Blaine nodded, trying to keep up with her enthusiastic chatter. He didnt spend a lot of time around bouncy young women like this, in his normal life. "That sounds like a nice idea." 

She whipped a pink heart and a black marker from her apron. "Whats your name?" 

"Um.... Blaine." 

She wrote his name in the heart, and attached a bit of tape to it, passing it over to Blaine. "Just stick it to a book youve enjoyed in the past. The tape is the type that comes off easily." She bounced away, heading towards another new customer. 

Blaine looked down at the heart in his hand, chuckling. Too bad Kurt wasnt here. He could walk over and stick this silly heart to the book he was reading, use it as a conversation starter. Yup, very smooth, very subtle. 

Walking around the store, he now noticed all the hearts on the books. Some titles had several hearts attached to them. 

He went to the history area, and there were several books on Greek mythology. He wasnt going to go for the plan of flashing the book around and hope Kurt talked to him, but it wouldnt hurt to brush up in the topic, just in case they got talking somehow. 

He was reading the back of one book, when he noticed a book nearby with a pink heart on it. And the name Kurt written on it. Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Hmmm... Could that be his Kurt? It wouldnt be that odd for a guy who obviously loved reading and who visited this store to be the guy who liked this. 

Another possible in! Blaine walked around the store, and anytime he saw a pink heart with Kurt in it, he took a picture of the book with his cellphone. Wow! This Kurt sure read a wide variety of books. 

Blaine ended up at the bulletin board near the washrooms, and saw a sign with upcoming events. There were musicians playing in the cafe several nights. A few authors doing readings. A writing group meeting. 

And next to that, a sign up sheet for a book club meeting. Third on the list was Kurt. Could it be his Kurt??

Blaine signed up, and went to buy a copy of the book from the bouncy clerk. 

---

The next weekend, Blaine arrived fifteen minutes early and hung back a bit, checking out the scene. The tables and chairs had been rearranged, now forming a circle with sitting for about ten people. A couple older women were sitting there already, chatting casually, with copies of the book sitting on the coffee table near their mugs. No sign of Kurt yet. 

Blaine got a chai latte, and sat down in the circle, a couple chairs away. "Um, hi. Im Blaine." He nodded over at them when they looked his way. 

"Hi Blaine. Im Marie and this is Tanya." The taller woman said, motioning to her friend. 

After the greeting, they went back to their discussion, and Blaine grabbed his book, flipping through it for something to do. His nerves increasing minute by minute. 

The chairs filled, and Blaine introduced himself, finding everyone friendly and welcoming. But still no Kurt. 

Marie straightened up, looking at her watch, and looking around. "Hey everybody. We may as well get started now. We may have a late straggler or two."

She picked up her book. "I picked Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo as it's on many lists for best novels of all time. But it's also on some lists for the longest novels, so we will only be discussing the first half tonight.”

"So, the second half will be discussed next month?" An attractive brunette asked. Blaine knew theyd met, but was having problems keeping the names straight. His mind was still preoccupied with Kurt. 

Marie nodded. "As long as that suits everyone.”

People seemed to be nodding along in agreement. 

Blaine was taking a sip of his latte, when Marie looked up, smiling. "Oh, good. Im so glad you could make it, Kurt."

And it was his Kurt that sat in an empty chair a couple seats over, smiling and nodding greeting as he settle in. He placed a battered copy of the book on the coffee table, and a cup of coffee beside it. 

Blaines heart was thumping, as he tried to follow the discussion. Hed read the first half of the book and enjoyed it, but all thought about it had fled his brain. He kept watching Kurt, seeing how he interacted with the group. So far, hed been listening attentively, sipping his coffee

He was wearing tight black jeans, his legs crossed and his foot bobbing slightly, distractingly. On top, he wore a deep red cardigan with a paisley patterned scarf. He looked fantastic. 

"And what is your opinion about Jean Valjean, Blaine?" Maries voice pulled him back to the present. 

It felt a lot like being called on in class, back in junior high. He had no idea what the discussion had been the last few minutes. Luckily Blaine had worked in business long enough to be able to flub. 

"You know, hes an interesting character, but Im looking forward to reading the second half of the book, as so many people say its changed their perception of him. I want to see the whole picture."

People in the group nodded, and the conversation went on. Blaine noticed Kurt giving him a look, but looked away before Blaine could interpret it.

Kurt's comments were insightful, and Blaine was quite surprised at his voice. It was higher than most men's, but with a melodic tone. It suited him. 

Before long, the book club was disbanding. Blaine was gathering his things when he noticed that Kurt had stepped closer to him, looking his way. He looked even better up this close, his eyes a beautiful combination of blue, green and grey.

Before Blaine could gather his thoughts and make a cohesive sentence, Kurt jumped in.

“You are a Faker. You haven't even read the book.” Kurt gave him a haughty look, and spun around. In a few strides he was out the door.

Blaine stood there a minute, simply stunned. 

Really? The first words from the guy hes been crushing on are an accusation of being a Faker? It was just so ridiculous!! Blaine had always been a good student, never cheated in his life on anything. 

He flashed through a bunch of emotions, mostly shock and disappointment that this highly anticipated time with Kurt had turned out so oddly. 

Well, obviously Kurt was a bit off... Or something. Not a good subject for a crush. Blaine should find somewhere else for his morning coffees. Although Kurt was so intent on his books, hed probably not notice either way. 

But as Blaine walked to the washroom to take a few breaths and splash water on his face, taking a moment, the main feeling became anger. 

Who was Kurt to make such a snap judgment of Blaine? He hardly knew him, probably didnt even know his name! A part of Blaine wanted to revert to his 6-year old self, stamp his feet and shout "Am not!!"

And as he left the washroom, he spotted the sign up sheet for the next book club and he felt a bit defiant as he added his name to it. 

He was going to read the fuck out of that book. He would read it three times, discuss it with his literary friends, research it online. Hed become the fucking expert on that book. And at that book club, his remarks would be so bloody insightful that Kurt would have to concede that he was utterly wrong. Eat a big chunk of crow. 

Blaine nodded in satisfaction, and left the shop.

___

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is 1488 pages long, so no wonder they split it over two meetings. Blaine could have cheated and watched the movie. A fun Honest Trailer of the movie is here.

-Fitzpatricks Bookstore as I imagine it. Lots of books, tables in the cafe, fireplace with some comfy chairs, and live music some nights.