Chapter 15

‘Are you kidding?! Your brother turned down an audition for a David Lynch movie?,’ Kurt exclaimed, causing a few heads in the coffee shop to turn in their direction. ‘Seriously?’

Blaine laughed.

‘Yeah. Though Lynch is just producing or something. Cooper said he could do better.’ He shook his head. ‘All Christmas we were bugging him about that. Well, I was.’

He paused to take a sip of his coffee. Kurt was sitting across from him, watching him with a small warm smile.

‘I love you,’ Kurt said all of a sudden, almost making Blaine choke on his coffee.

It took him a moment to swallow and collect his thoughts enough to fully process what Kurt had just told him.

‘I love you, too.’ He smiled tentatively, while the corners of his boyfriend’s mouth pulled up a fraction higher.

They continued to stare into each other’s eyes for a moment, relishing it. With those few simple words spoken out loud they felt as if whatever was between them finally got real, serious, and more tangible. Kurt extended his hand to hold Blaine’s over the table.

This was certainly real.

***

It was still quite early for starting any New Year’s Eve party, when Kurt and Blaine entered the club at which they and a group of other NYADA students had reservations for the night. The place was almost entirely empty, save for a few employees scurrying around and making the final adjustments before the tide of people rushes in to celebrate, and a handful of lonesome customers scattered at the tables on the far end of the dance floor.

Kurt wasn’t much of a clubber, and neither was Blaine, but after a few days of constant nagging, Rachel managed to convince them to come with her. She was bringing Finn along, as his physical therapy was drawing to a successful close, and his psychiatrist decided it was time to take him off some of the strongest psychoactives short before Christmas. Kurt was more keen on enduring a few hours in a packed club for the sake of his brother’s spirits, rather than Rachel’s whim. And Blaine simply couldn’t imagine spending their first New Year’s Eve apart from Kurt, especially after being separated by six hundred miles on Christmas.

When their eyes adjusted to the bluish light, Blaine noticed someone waving at them from one of the far tables. He squinted, trying to make the face out.

‘Oh, that’s Trent,’ he told Kurt over the still relatively quiet music.

‘Let’s go say hi.’ He motioned in Trent’s direction.

‘You go. I’ll get us some drinks and I’ll be there in a minute.’

Kurt nodded in agreement, and reluctantly let Blaine’s hand go. Trent was occupying a low deep booth with leather benches, and sipping a beer. Kurt raised his eyebrows.

‘Aren’t you nineteen?’

Trent smiled crookedly at him.

‘Guilty. What are you guys doing here already, anyway?’

‘We didn’t want to come when the club’s already ripping at the seams, so to speak. And you?’

‘I was meeting my brother, ‘cause he came to town for New Year’s, and then he said he was supposed to go somewhere else for the night, and it didn’t make much sense to go back to the dorms, so I came here.’ He grimaced slightly, glancing furtively to measure Kurt’s reaction. For a second he regretted having shared so much; they weren’t close friends with Kurt, even though his relations with Blaine had warmed up significantly beginning with the show in West Point.

But Kurt nodded with understanding.

‘It’s hard, isn’t it? Having a bad relationship with your brother?’

There was something in Kurt that made him incredibly easy to talk to; he radiated empathy and understanding, even when his own experiences were entirely different.

‘Yeah. You have no idea.’

‘True, I don’t.’ Kurt paused. ‘Blaine told me, you know. About your brother and all that… And I’m glad that now you and Blaine are getting along. I hope someday everything’s going to work out with you and your brother.’ He gave Trent a small smile.

‘Thanks, Kurt.’ He bit his lip, clearly considering whether to say something more. ‘Me too. I wish it got better.’

The appearance of Blaine with their drinks put an end to their heart to heart.

***

Kurt’s head was close to exploding from the onslaught of ridiculously loud electronic music on his ears. He was quite convinced his eardrums had already burst, and his skull was next in line. Blaine on the other hand was having a marvelous time, prancing around the dance floor with a delighted Rachel. Finn was still not well enough physically to keep up with her for another hour, so he was sitting next to Kurt in their booth, sipping his orange juice, and watching his fiancée. They had renewed their engagement during Christmas, on a romantic walk in Central Park.

Soon Blaine and Rachel got thirsty from all the dancing, and joined them at the table. Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt.

‘Wanna dance?,’ he asked, shouting into his ear, his eyes twinkling.

‘No, Blaine, really, Rachel seems to be enjoying having you all to herself,’ Kurt shouted back at him.

In this instant the music changed into something much slower and more subtle.

‘But it’s a slow one.’

Kurt rolled his eyes, while his boyfriend dragged him out to the dance floor. They put their arms around each other, swaying gently to the rhythm.

‘Wouldn’t you want to go somewhere else?,’ Kurt asked after a moment. ‘How about Times Square? I know it’s packed, but…’

Blaine looked up straight into his eyes.

‘You want to get out of here?’

A short nod was Kurt’s answer.

‘Then I want to go to your place.’

Kurt’s eyes widened. Oh. What that really what Blaine implied?

‘But it’s not even ten yet… You sure?’

‘Yes, I’m sure. You?’

Instead of saying anything more, Kurt smiled at him, and tugged him through the crowd towards their booth to tell the others they were leaving.

They took a cab to Greenpoint, glancing at each other all the way, when they felt the stare of the driver – who was visibly frustrated that he was working while everyone else was having fun – falling on them in the rearview mirror every other minute.

The building was dark and silent when they arrived. They hurried up the stairs, never letting each other’s hands go, stealing kisses on every landing and in between storeys. Kurt opened the door hastily, and once it shut behind them, their coats fell to the floor, soon followed by other elements of their outfits.

And when fireworks lit up the sky over New York City, they were lying snuggled close in Kurt’s bed, without a trace of awkwardness, perfectly content.

‘Happy New Year, Blaine,’ murmured Kurt.

‘It will be happy, I wouldn’t worry about it.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I have you.’

***

It was a lazy July afternoon in the Anderson house. Kurt and Blaine took advantage of having the huge residence to themselves, and sat on the immensely comfortable sofa in front of the gigantic plasma TV to watch West Side Story, each of them for an umpteenth time.

They cuddled in front of the screen with a bowl of popcorn and cans of diet coke in their hands, feasting all their senses.

‘You’d be a perfect Tony,’ said Kurt midway through Something’s Coming, glancing at his boyfriend lovingly.

‘You think so?’ Blaine couldn’t help a small smile.

‘Absolutely.’

Their eyes went back to the screen for a long while, their mouths busy chewing popcorn.

And then, the first notes of One Hand, One Heart started playing and Kurt flinched. For one more moment his eyes stayed glued to Tony and Maria, and then he turned to Blaine.

‘Will you marry me?’

Blaine’s head snapped up. He frowned; there was no way he’d just heard… that.

‘What?’

Kurt slipped to the floor and onto one knee, facing Blaine.

‘Blaine Anderson, would you consider doing me the honour of becoming my husband?’

‘I- I can’t see a ring,’ he choked out after a moment.

‘I’ll get us rings. Just tell me. Will you marry me?’

Kurt held his breath.

‘Yes, of course I will.’

Relief washed over Kurt, when Blaine smiled, leaning to kiss him.

And then Kurt sat back on the couch, snuggling to Blaine – to his fiancé – and they finished watching, both shedding a few tears at the end. But even the saddest movie ending in the world couldn’t mar their happiness.