“We identify with Jean Valjean as we watch his moral progress, from moral failure to redemption,” Blaine explained, his eyes alight, “That's really important in the book as a parallel between individual and collective progress. … Victor Hugo was hoping for the redemption of his country. His country had taken a huge step backwards at that time: A lot of people were miserable, and the country was a dictatorship under Napoleon III.”

People were nodding along, and Blaine could tell they were interested in his view of the novel. 

"I think that is why the book still resonates with us today. Decent, honest people are still being exploited. People are still unemployed and going hungry. " Blaine reached down to pick up his coffee. 

He felt pleased, but didnt dare glance over at Kurt. Internally, he was smirking. Take that, Mr. Know It All. 

The conversation continued, discussing the value of public education and womens rights in the novel. It also went to comparing the book against the musical and the film adaptations. Blaine contributed his views often. 

As the book club disbanded for the night, Tanya took the time to ask Blaine a few more questions and invited him to their next meeting. He really felt like a part of the group. 

When he was packing the book into his bag, he noticed a presence nearby. Looking up, it was Kurt. Blaine just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

Kurt huffed. "OK, I was wrong and I apologize." His expression was neutral, waiting for Blaine's reaction. It was an olive branch, and Blaine chose to accept it.

Blaine simply nodded, and turned back to fasten the closure on his knapsack. By the time he'd swung it up to his shoulder, Kurt had disappeared from the area. 

---

The next day, Kurt was reading about Andromeda being sacrificed to a sea monster, when he had the feeling of being watched again. 

Looking up, he saw Blaine in the line, his expression hard to read. Inwardly shrugging to himself, he waved. Blaines eyebrows rose, and then he smiled. 

A few minutes later, Blaine walked over with his beverage. "Hey, Kurt. How are the studies going?"

Kurt moved his books into a pile. "Good, good. Want to sit down for a bit?" 

Again, Blaine looked a bit surprised. "Ah, sure. I have about twenty minutes before I need to go."

"What type of work do you do?" Kurt sipped his Americano, taking in Blaines charcoal grey suit. 

Blaine sipped his latte. "Im one of dozens in capital markets department of a major investment firm." He smiled in a self-deprecating way. 

Kurt whistled. "Sounds fancy."

Blaine shrugged. "Hardly. Ive been there three years, so Im still a very junior member in my group. Basically Im the main grunt."

Kurt looked over Blaine, doubting it was as lowly as he was portraying. "Did you grow up here?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, the Chicago area. I went to school out there, and moved here after graduating for this job."

"What do you think of San Francisco? Ive only been here about a year myself."

Blaine tilted his head to the side, and laughed. "This sounds awful, but Ive been working so much, Ive barely done much but be at the office and crashing at my apartment. The weather is better than Chicago, I can say that for sure."

Kurt nodded. "I can relate! Since we got the cafe, Tina and I are here most of the time. But I love it and the business is getting to where we want it."

Blaine finished his drink. "I envy that you have so much control here. You dont have to go through a committee and get it passed through a board of directors to make a change."

Kurt smiled wryly. "Just have to get it past Tina Cohen Chang. She can be a bulldog when she has an idea she wont budge on."

"How long have you know her?"

Kurt laughed. "Since she was a goth little freshman. We were in glee club together."

Blaines eyebrows rose again. "So, about ten years or so?" He guessed they were around his age, 25 years old.

“Yeah, I guess so. Incredible how fast it's gone though.”

Standing up, Blaine grabbed his empty cup. “Just like the last twenty minutes.” He laughed. “I better get going. But it was nice talking with you, Kurt.”

Kurt nodded, smiling.

___

It became a regular thing each day. Blaine sitting with Kurt in the morning for twenty to thirty minutes before heading into work, Kurt pushing his books out of the way as Blaine sat down, giving his full attention. 

Blaine was enjoying their talks, getting to know Kurt. They were on friendly, safe topics though. He didn't want to push things by being flirty. Maybe it just seemed too early in the day for it as well. But his thoughts were preoccupied during work, thinking of things to discuss with Kurt. And trying to get up the nerve to ask Kurt out.

His attraction to Kurt grew upon getting to know him more. His clothes, his hair, his beautiful, fair skin… but also the way he talked about the store and his friends. Blaine thought about what he could suggest to Kurt. Take their talk outside the store, have more time together, and maybe develop into something more. 

The next morning, Blaine waited for an opening, feeling a little nervous, but still wanting to do it.

“Are you even listening, Blaine? Or do you need a stronger coffee to wake up?” Kurt's laugh pulled Blaine attention back.

Blaine shook his head, running a hand through his curly, short trimmed hair. “Sorry Kurt. I was just thinking about something I read about the other day, and wanted to mention it to you before I forget. You know Grace Cathedral?”

Kurt nodded. “Yes, although I'm not really a religious person. I've never been inside it.” 

“Me neither, I'm embarrassed to say, since I've lived here longer than you have.” Blaine took a deep breath. “Well, I've heard they have these beautiful labyrinths that you can walk, as a meditative kind of thing. And tonight they are having it lit by candlelight, with live music.”

Kurt looked intrigued. “Labyrinths? Like a maze made out of hedges? Like in The Shining?”

Shaking his head, Blaine laughed lightly. “No, it's a pattern on the floor that you walk along, and apparently the one at Grace Cathedral is a replica of a thousand year old one in France.” 

“That sounds interesting. When is it?” Kurt sipping on his coffee.

Blaine smiled, happy that Kurt seemed interested. “At 7 pm. Would that work for you?” 

Kurt looked at Blaine for a minute and then nodded. “Yeah, there are no special events on at the store tonight, and the regular staff can handle it. I'd like to go… but I should tell you something, Blaine.”

“OK, Kurt, what is it?” Blaine was feeling so happy that Kurt had agreed.

“Um…. I'm not exactly sure how to say this, Blaine, but…” Kurt paused a second. “Is it OK if we just go as friends?”

Blaine's eyes dropped to the table, not wanting to reveal his disappointment in his expression. “Oh, yeah… that's fine.” 

Kurt rushed on, not wanting Blaine to feel bad. “It's nothing against you, Blaine, of course. I'm just not looking for dating these days.” 

“Oh, it's fine. It's good having a friend with common interests, Kurt. I'll text you later with the details, OK?” Blaine stood, wanting to leave before he gave his feelings away.

Kurt nodded, watching as Blaine left the cafe. 

___

I'm outside now, if you're ready to go. – B

Kurt looked down at the text and replied quickly that he'd be out in a minute. Pulling on his coat, he locked up the office and headed out, waving goodbye to Mandy as he went. 

Outside, Blaine was waiting by a large, dark car. He smiled and opened the back door for Kurt and circled around the car to get in on the other side. 

Kurt raised his eyebrows and got in. Softly, to Blaine, he said, “You have a driver?” 

Blaine nodded, turning to look over to Kurt. “It's a perk of my job. I thought it would be easier tonight, since the parking can be hard to find on Knob Hill.” 

Looking out the window at the passing traffic, Kurt thought about why there was a sudden tightness in his stomach. He knew Blaine worked for an investment firm, but having a car service meant he was in a more important position at the business than how it had sounded from his description. 

Pretty soon, the car was slowing and they got out. The gothic cathedral soared above them, the ancient style in such juxtaposition with the busy city streets. 

Following the trickle of people heading towards the huge structure, they entered through the tall bronze doors, intricately depicting stories from the Old Testament on its panels. Pillars marched down the length of the building, arching up to the high ceilings and framing the many stained glass windows. The lighting was low, and candlelight flickered from many glass lanterns laid out over the floor. People milled about, talking in hushed tones.

Kurt tilted his head back, his eyes tracing the arches and elaborate ornamentation, in awe of the beauty. He turned towards Blaine, who was also looking at the details with great interest. Bumping his shoulder gently, Kurt whispered, “Thanks for bringing me here, Blaine. This is amazing. I feel like I'm in the Notre Dame.” 

Blaine smiled. “I thought you would like it, with your interest in architecture, history and all things French.” 

Narrowing his eyes, Kurt looked back to Blaine. “How did you know that I like those subjects? They haven't come up in our conversations.” 

Blaine was glad the lighting was low as he dipped his head, blushing. “Well, I noticed which books you had recommended in the book store. You are remarkably well-read, Kurt.” 

Kurt shrugged, brushing off the compliment. They walked up the aisles and returned to near the entrance, where the labyrinth was laid out over the floor before the start of the rows of pews. Candles on the floor encircled it. A small string quartet was playing restful, lulling melodies. It was such a serene setting; Kurt could feel his tension unwinding, his shoulder dropping slightly and each breath coming easier. 

There was no one directing them, so they simply followed the actions of the other people. Stepping onto the labyrinth pattern on the floor, they followed it, step by step. The path turned back on itself, eleven turns in total, until they reached the flower pattern at the center. Walking back out, again following the pattern with each step, they soon found themselves outside the candlelit circle.

“Shall we sit in a pew for a bit, and take in the atmosphere?” Blaine suggested softly.

Kurt nodded, and followed him to the center of the nave. Sitting on the hard smooth oak, Kurt faced towards the altar. “Do you know much about this church, Blaine?”

Blaine shrugged. “It's an Anglican church, in the gothic style. I know they copied the labyrinth pattern from a medieval French church, ‘The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres'.”

“Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres.” Kurt corrected him, with a small smile playing on his lips. His accent was perfect. 

“You speak French, Kurt?” Blaine's eyes were shocked. 

Kurt nodded. “As a little kid, I was a big fan of Celine Dion. I ended up finding some of her older albums at a garage sale, and they were all in French. I was pretty obsessed with them.” 

“You became fluent just from that?” 

Shaking his head, Kurt looked down at his lap. “I got curious about what the lyrics meant, and bought a french-english dictionary at an used book store. It was like a puzzle, decoding them. It was something I worked on in my spare time. I found books at the library, and my vocabulary improved over time.“

Blaine nodded. “And your interest in France grew out of that? French architecture and French history?” 

“Yes. There is even a French town, called Versailles, although the locals pronounce it ‘ver-sales', about an hour south of Lima that I convinced my dad to take me to on a road trip. I thought it was wildly exciting at the time. Maybe one day I'll get to see the real Versailles.” 

Blaine could only shake his head in wonder. The more he learned about Kurt, the more Kurt amazed him. “I visited there once, right when I finished college. You would enjoy it so much, Kurt.” 

Kurt sighed softly. Going on trips like that would be wonderful, but he didn't see it being a possibility for him. Not really. It was hard to imagine ever having enough money available to travel so far away.

For people like Blaine, it was no big deal to fly around the world for a week or two of holidays, spending thousands of dollars. 

Getting up, Kurt moved down the aisle. “Blaine, I think there is another labyrinth outside. I heard someone mentioning it before. Shall we go look?” 

Blaine nodded, following Kurt's lead. In the plaza between the main cathedral and the other buildings, the labyrinth was repeated. They had this one to themselves, in the early evening darkness, and they slowly traced the patterns with their steps, each lost in their own thoughts. 

Blaine called for the car, and they sat on a low wall as they waited, quietly. It started to drizzle lightly. 

“Oh shit!” Blaine hopped up. “Do you want to go inside, Kurt? I don't want you getting wet.” 

Kurt chuckled.  “Dont you fret, Msieur Marius. I dont feel any pain, A little fall of rain, Can hardly hurt me now…”  He sang softly.

“You would live a hundred years, If I could show you how, I won't desert you now…” Blaine sang back in a beautiful tenor, smiling. 

The car pulled up, and they tumbled into the back, laughing, as they continued the song in the back of the car. His driver probably thought they were nuts. 

At the end of the song, Blaine smiled widely at Kurt. “Now I want to watch the movie! Come back to my place, and we can pop it in, sing along to everything.” 

Kurt agreed eagerly. Blaine leaned forward to instruct the driver.

___

It still felt a bit unreal that he was sitting in this elegant living room, the fireplace blazing, watching the big screen TV with powerful surround sound as he sipped from a huge mug of tea. Blaine's apartment was incredible, perfectly decorated like a four star hotel. And Blaine acted like it was normal for someone in their mid-twenties to live like this. 

Kurt thought of his small but comfortable flat on the top floor of a Victorian style house. His whole flat could fit into this living room.

“Blaine, you mentioned that you worked for an investment firm. Which one?” Kurt asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

Blaine glanced at Kurt, and nodded. “Anderson Parker.”

“And the Anderson in the name is…?”

Sighing, Blaine nodded at Kurt. “My father. He started the firm with his friend, Charles Parker.” 

Kurt whistled softly. Anderson Parker was one of the biggest investment firms in the country. It had grown huge over the decades. So well respected, so elite. 

“And what do you do there, Blaine?” 

“I'm learning the business, from the ground up. My father works in the Chicago headquarters. I came out here to have a little distance, and be treated more like a normal employee.” 

Kurt arched his eyebrows. “And the car? This apartment?” 

Blaine shrugged, again sighing. “It was a compromise, a deal with my father. He allowed me to work out of this office, but he wanted me to be safe.”

They both turned back to the movie for a little while, sipping their tea.

“And what about you, Kurt. How did you and Tina come to have the bookstore and café?” Blaine had been curious about that for quite a while. 

Kurt fiddled with the blanket he was cuddled underneath. “It was quite a surprise, actually. An older aunt on my mother's side… she named me in her will. We weren't close, but she had no children of her own. The building is a lease, but the contents are mine.” 

“And Tina?” Blaine encouraged.

“She was living back in Lima, after her divorce, not really sure what she wanted to do. When I talked to her about the inheritance, and what I should do, she convinced me we should try running the business. We came out here and the place was a mess, since the store had been closed for a while when my aunt was ill. We cleaned, painted, sorted everything… It's been a year now, and we are doing pretty well.” Kurt's face showed his quiet pride in this. 

Blaine sipped from his mug. “Had either of you worked in a similar business before?” 

Shaking his head, Kurt shifted his feet up onto the ottoman and draped the throw over his long legs. “Not really. But my father runs a small auto body shop I worked in a fair bit, so I knew the basics of running a business. I was on the phone with him a lot in the beginning.”

Watching Kurt's face closely, Blaine could see the fondness in Kurt's expression when he mentioned his father, and when he spoke of Tina. It was clear how close he was with both of them. Blaine thought on his relationships, but he would not say he was that close with his father. They respected each other, but it had never been close like he was with Cooper, or friends from his prep school or university. 

They turned back to the film, singing along to ‘Bring Him Home' and the rest of the songs. 

When the film ended, Kurt got up, carrying the tea things into the kitchen. It was large and pristine.

Blaine walked Kurt to the door. “The car should be out front by now.” It was awkward, as this almost felt like the end of a date. He certainly wanted to give Kurt a kiss goodnight. But he had to respect Kurt's wishes in this, or risk losing him entirely. 

“Goodnight, Blaine. I enjoyed spending time with you tonight.” Kurt said softly, his eyes seeming so large in the dim light of the hallway. He gave Blaine a small smile, and then slipped out the door.

___

-Disclaimer: I own nothing

-A/N: Blaines views on Les Miserables come from this article.

-Labyrinth in Grace Cathedral: Watch a 1.5 min video here.

-A Little Fall of Rain scene from Les Miserables here.