The worst part was that Mercedes got sick at the last minute, so Kurt was stuck in South Carolina with his dad and Carole and Finn with their Aunt Noelle. And Kurt loves his family, he really does, but the beach was not where he wanted to be during the summer, no matter how appealing it seemed to anyone else.

Besides, all the lifeguards on duty that he could see were female.

Of course, the beach itself was gorgeous: pale sands, almost white, with crystalline water lapping at the shore. So Kurt decided to wait it out, stretching out in the shade with a book.

Somehow, after managing an hour of reading and hiding in the shade of his umbrella slathered with sunscreen, Finn convinced him to go into the water for a little while. He said that he really wanted to try surfing, or at least just cool off in the water, because it’s really hot, dude, and while Finn had the mentality of a small child, he also had the pouting ability. Plus, Kurt wanted to make sure that Finn didn’t drown.

So he found himself in the water beside his brother after getting instructions from a tall, very endowed lifeguard, who kept fluttering her eyelashes at Finn while he visibly struggled to keep his eyes on her face. Kurt could almost hear his brother’s internal battle: think of Rachel, think of Rachel, you’re with Rachel.

They were drifting lazily through the water as they waited for a wave, and while Finn nattered on about something or other, Kurt’s gaze wandered. And landed on something that nearly took his breath away.

There must have been a shift change at the lifeguard station or something, because hot damn, he would’ve remembered this boy: dark, curly hair, tanned skin, nicely defined arms, and a torso Kurt would sell his soul for. His eyes raked appreciatively over this boy’s body, only he was most definitely not just a boy, because there was no way that any normal human being could be that attractive.

He was so attractive, in fact, that Kurt couldn’t stop staring long enough to realize that Finn was yelling at him or that a wave was coming their way. Before he could do more than turn his head, he was pulled under and held there by the water, and goddammit if that wasn’t just his luck. After a few minutes of struggling, he’d broken the surface a few times but the tide or current or something was insistent in keeping him under, and he couldn’t see very well, and he’d inhaled far too much water.

But then he felt something warm and solid, and it wrapped tightly around him, and he might’ve been delirious but it felt like a person, a person with a strong, wiry body that was -

Taking him to the surface.

They broke through and he coughed and spluttered as he got back on land, and fuck his throat and eyes and head hurt, but he could ignore that because there were calloused hands tilting his chin up and dark hazel eyes were boring into his own underneath that curly head of hair, now dripping with ocean water, and hello, it was that lifeguard.

And fuck if he wasn’t more attractive up close.

Just when Kurt thought it couldn’t get much worse - or better, he supposed, depending on how he looked at it - the boy asked, “Are you all right?”

“I am now,” slipped out, and wow, that sounded stupid, and Kurt would’ve mentally berated himself for it had a smile not spread across the other boy’s face.

"My name's Blaine."

"Kurt."

Yeah, maybe Kurt didn't hate the beach after all.

“Kurt! Oh my God, are you okay, dude?”

But he was pretty sure that he hated his stepbrother.

Those arms - warm, strong, perfect arms - loosened their hold on him, retracting back to the boy they belonged to, and they’d only been around him for a minute or two, but God, Kurt missed them already. Turning around, he saw Finn rushing up, saying things like, “I’m so sorry, Kurt,” and “You just disappeared, I couldn’t even see you,” and “All of a sudden you were, like, really far away.”

He knelt beside Kurt and, noticing the lifeguard - Blaine, he reminded himself - nodded to him, blurting out, “Thanks so much for saving Kurt, man, because I do not want to know what Burt would do to me if I came home without him.”

Kurt heard the chuckle before he turned to look at this savior of sorts. The grin on his face could split it in two and light up the entire East Coast, and before he could stop himself, Kurt’s first thought was adorable. He immediately ended this train of thought, reminding himself that, yes, this boy was absolutely gorgeous, but he probably had a girlfriend. The kind that you wanted to hate because she was supermodel pretty but a really good person, probably volunteering at deaf and blind animal shelters and building homes for small, homeless children in her spare time.

All his negativity disappeared when Blaine spoke again. “No problem. It happens, and that’s what I’m here for. I’m just glad,” he turned his gaze to Kurt, “that you’re all right. It’d be a shame if the world lost you.”

Holy shit. Did he say that? Did he really just say that? I’m not imagining it?

Kurt’s jaw nearly dropped, and he had the urge to pinch himself to make sure he was completely awake. He probably would’ve done it, too if he hadn’t seen Finn’s reaction to Blaine’s words. It was a look of slow comprehension, and once Blaine’s statement made sense to him he gave Kurt a look that almost spoke of approval. Finn probably meant to be subtle, but accomplished the opposite, especially with the exaggeratedly covert thumbs up he shot.

Ignoring his brother, he fought down the blush that was probably creeping up his neck as he replied, “Well, in any case, thank you.”

That ever-present grin was joined by a coy wink, and God, that just wasn’t fair, and Kurt barely registered him saying, “You’re welcome.”

There was a moment, just an all-too-brief couple of seconds, when they didn’t say anything, and it wasn’t awkward or painful or strained silence. All Kurt could register that it was warm, sitting on a beach and basking in the warm glow of this boy’s gaze, and God, he could stare into those eyes and map the different flecks of color all day.

Of course, this fantasy was shattered when he realized he had a stepbrother who was talking, saying that they needed to go anyway, and that it was nice to meet you, Blaine, and Kurt just smiled at the boy in the sand, and he smiled back, and God, he was lost.

He figured that he’d gotten wrapped in a towel, and that they’d gotten back to the truck Finn had bought earlier in the summer, and that they’d driven home, but Kurt couldn’t focus on much of it. His mind was occupied with the image of eyes that were warm and inviting, the feel of calloused fingers against his back, on his arms, cupping his chin, the smell of salt and the sound of a voice that outstripped any other voice in beauty. He imagined what those curls would feel like if he ran his fingers through them, when they were wet or dry, and wondered if those lips were really as soft as they looked, and how they would taste if he wasn’t careful, if he wasn’t afraid, if he wasn’t so used to holding back.

Kurt was pulled from his reverie, realizing that Finn was trying to get his attention. He was grinning as he said, “So. Blaine, huh?”

“Shut up.”

“I just find it funny is all. Like, there were almost hearts coming out of your eyes and everything.” He ducked as Kurt swatted at his head. “Too bad Burt wasn’t there to see, huh?”

Kurt’s eyes narrowed. “Finn Christopher Hudson, you will keep your mouth shut about today, do you hear me?”

Finn just laughed and shook his head.

The drive back to their Aunt Noelle’s was quick; Finn had the windows rolled down and the radio on, and Kurt complained about the abuse his hair had taken from the water and now the wind, and Finn kept teasing him about Blaine, and Kurt kept telling Finn to roll up the windows and shut up about it already.

They pulled into the driveway and took their stuff from the back of the truck, and Finn had a look on his face, and Kurt could tell he was going to start making comments again, and he was right.

“He’s good-looking for a guy, though. I guess you could do worse.”

Kurt smirked, walking away and tossing a remark over his shoulder. “That’s interesting. Something you’re not telling us, Finn?”

“What? No, dude, I meant for you!”

When they walked in the house and Burt asked how the beach was and why they were so early, weren’t they supposed to meet the boys there, Kurt turned a deep shade of pink that he was sure to hide by looking away. Finn just told him that the beach got too crowded to enjoy, so at that point they’d left. Kurt sent the other boy a look of gratitude when Burt nodded and inserted himself back into conversation with Carole and their Aunt Noelle.

The initial purpose of the vacation was to attend Carole’s family reunion, which they had done two days previously, and the adults had spent the day with a few acquaintances from the gathering, and while they talked, Kurt excused himself to clean up. He knew his hair was a mess, he wanted the film of sunscreen off his skin, and he needed to get away from Finn’s knowing glances and smiles.

He searched through his suitcase in a daze, grabbing whatever he felt he’d need through nothing more than reflex and subconscious memory, because his thoughts were occupied, of course they were occupied after that afternoon.

He had this feeling in the pit of his stomach, underneath the butterflies swarming inside, and he’d never been gifted when it came to intuition and reading others - look, for example, at Finn Hudson. If he couldn’t pin down Finn, he couldn’t pin down anyone - but he almost felt like he had a chance for once. It had seemed like maybe Blaine had shown a little interest, and it wasn’t like he’d avoided physical contact with Kurt, and he wanted to know that boy. He wanted to see him in all his splendor, to look into those warm eyes, to hear that voice as they talked about anything, maybe everything, who knew. And even though he’d only met the boy that afternoon for a few minutes, he had hope for something there.

Of course, even without the feeling that things might work out for him this time, he was still excited by just the events of the afternoon. An outrageously attractive guy had rescued him, had held him in his arms and pulled him to safety, and asked in that bright voice if he was all right, and Kurt had been certain that he’d never been more right in his life.

He allowed himself a moment, alone, in his bedroom, to give in to his inner teenage girl and lay back on his bed and squeal, kicking his feet out in excitement and revelling in these feelings.

After composing himself, he walked back out like nothing had happened.

But that was the point: something had happened.

And Kurt had decided that he really loved the beach.