“Class, please pull out your books and turn to page 87”, called Mrs. Farmer. I reached into my bag beside me, pulling out “Bonded”.  We were currently reading this book about a young girl yearning to bond, but having to learn that life can grant you with many other blessings. I flipped open the book, turning to the correct page, and settled back in my seat, prepared to listen to another boring lecture on the ‘meaning of love' and ‘learning to accept life as it is'. Don't get me wrong- I like reading, and I actually don't hate this book, but analyzing every detail of a story? Not so fun.

            I watched as Mrs. Farmer, an older woman who always had a warm smile, adjusted her reading glasses and look down at her notes. She looked up, and focused on the class. “Ok, before we start, does anyone have any questions about the chapter?”

            A blond girl in the front row (Mandy, maybe?) raised her hand. “Mrs. Farmer, I get why Emily wants to be bonded, but what does she mean when she says, “I yearn for the peace I could grant people”? I didn't understand what she's referring to.”

            “Ah,” Mrs. Farmer smiled and lowered her glasses. “The magic of soulmates.”

She sat on the edge of her desk, and set her book down beside her.

            “As most of you know, the bonding of soulmates only happens every couple decades. Maybe even centuries, the records aren't always clear or accurate.” She paused. “No one is even sure if everyone has a soulmate. All we know is that some extraordinarily lucky people get granted this. No one but bonded soulmates know how to bond, but what happens after is just as spectacular. After the bonding, if an outside person looks into either bonded's eyes, they are granted a feeling of inner peace and calm for a while afterward. To look into a bonded's eyes is said to be the most awe-inspiring experience in the world. When you look into their eyes, you see a sight so wondrous, so majestic…it takes your breath away.” She gazed off into space for a moment, as if remembering.

            “Have you ever…” Mandy trailed off as Mrs. Farmer looked up. Our teacher smiled, understanding the unspoken question.

            “In fact, I have. I was ten years old, visiting my grandmother at the local nursing home. My mother was signing out, and I wandered over to this older couple, they were probably about 80 or so, they were doing a puzzle. The older woman was having trouble reaching a piece, so I handed it to her. She looked up, into my eyes, and…” Mrs. Farmer stopped, her eyes full of the memory. “She looked up and I saw the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. There are no words to describe it, just…being full of wonder, then peace.

            “To this day, I will never forget that feeling, and when I feel upset, remembering that peace calms me down.”

            By the end of her story, every one in the class was on the edge of their seats, avidly watching our older teacher.

            “If the feeling is so amazing, why don't people ask the soulmates to look at them again?” Puck asked, leaning back in his seat.

            “I'm glad you asked that, Mr. Puckerman,” Mrs. Farmer said, an unreadable expression on her face. “To ask soulmates for a look is incredibly offensive to them, as it seems that they are being taken advantage of. That is part of why our records are so unclear. You can't ask bonded soulmates to prove they're bonded, unless they volunteer.”

            Mrs. Farmer blinked, and then seemed to return to the present. “Well, let's get to the book shall we?”

            There was an unspoken groan that seemed to fill the room, but everyone acquiesced, turning back to their books.

            For my part, I stared off into space during the rest of class. I tried to imagine what it would be like to have a soulmate. I could only dream of the feeling. When the bell rang, I shook my head, trying to dispel these thoughts. I would never get a soulmate- they were too rare. I needed to focus on reality.

            After class, Mercedes caught me outside. We fell in step, heading to Glee club.

            “Well, that was interesting,” she said as we began walking. I nodded absently, mind already full of Glee songs. 

            She looked at me curiously. “Didn't you think so, Kurt? I always thought soulmates where a myth that people talked about as if it were true. I never knew about their eyes, either. That's so cool!”

            I looked at her. “Why do you care?” I asked. “Soulmates are myth-like for a reason. They almost never happen. Why care about something that will never happen?”

            Mercedes' face fell. “Well, excuse me. I can dream about whatever the heck I want.” She put her face down and walked quickly to the choir room.

            By the time I got there, all the seats around her were full, and I sat on the other side of the room morosely. I knew she was mad at me, but I thought I was just stating the truth. Yeah, I could have been a little less blunt, but I didn't want her dreams to crush her. ‘Maybe you were just dismissing your own dreams' a small voice in my head said. I ignored it, and turned all my attention to Mr. Schue.

            By 3 o'clock, I had been reprimanded for sitting with the girls, slammed into the lockers by Karofsky…twice, had an extremely uncomfortable talk with Mr. Schue, been made to feel horrible by Mercedes, and had the Glee boys reject my costume decisions. I was not having a good day.

            I pulled my Navigator into a parking spot smoothly, and looked up at the imposing building in front of me. It was a large stone structure, and it reeked of money. Why did I think that spying on the Warblers would be a good idea?

            I shouldered my bag, got out of the car and adjusted by outfit. I had researched the Warblers online before coming here and replicated Dalton's uniform the best I could. I strode toward the doors of Dalton, letting my mask of confidence slip into place, and opened them slowly.

            It was after school hours, but this was a boarding school, so I had no idea the level of activity that would be happening at 3:30 pm. I was not expecting, however, for there to be a mass of students all headed in one direction with smiles on their faces. I followed the mass of boys curiously, trying to stay inconspicuous. What was happening? Finally, when my curiosity peaked, I tapped a nearby boy on the shoulder.

            “Excuse me? Can I ask you a question? I'm new here,” I said, directing my gaze toward the dark haired, shorter boy. I had already planned the “I'm new” speech while in the car, hopefully it was believable.

            The boy turned around and our eyes met.

            His eyes, big and hazel, seemed to transform into a raging sea of gold. All my worries, all hurt, anything bad in my life rolled in the turbulent waves. All of a sudden, when our eyes connected, the waves crashed over me. They cleared away all my worries, all my pain. The waves receded and they became a smooth ocean of pure honey and I felt an immense calm wash over me. I was protected. I was happy.

            I snapped back to the present as I was jostled from behind and I stumbled, grabbing onto the rail of the staircase. Hazel Eyes steadied me and we jumped as a literal spark flowed in between us. I suddenly felt connected to the boy in front of me. I knew he was confused, yet happy at the same time. I knew he was shocked. I… knew what he was feeling. We were soulmates.

            The boy stared at me, eyes wide, and I mirrored him. The hall around us emptied and we were left standing on the staircase alone.

            Hazel Eyes cracked a hesitant smile. “I'm Blaine, “ he said, extending a hand.

I grasped it, feeing a pleasant warmth seep into my skin where we touched.

            “Kurt,” I said.

            We stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say.

            Blaine bit his lip. “Um, I never expected this to happen,” he said quietly.

            I nodded in understanding. “Neither did I” I responded.

            We were interrupted by a tall Asian boy running into the hall, frantically looking around for something. 

            “Blaine!” he cried. “What are you doing? Did you forget our performance?” he grabbed Blaine's arm, eliciting a sharp spike of jealously from me, and pulled him from the hall.

Blaine formed a cute “Oops” face, and quickly took my hand, pulling me along with him. He mouthed the word “later,” as his friend dragged us to a large room where dozens of boys sat waiting, a group of about 10 standing in the front of the room. The Asian boy pushed Blaine to the front of the room, and Blaine and I reluctantly let go of each other's hands.

I slipped to the back wall as the Asian boy dragged Blaine up to the standing boys and the group started singing. These were the Warblers? Any thoughts of spying had flown out the window long ago, and I tuned everything out except Blaine. My eyes stayed connected with his throughout the whole song and I barely noticed him singing lead on Katy Perry's hit “Teenage Dream”. What I did notice, however, was the fact that our eyes never left each other, and I felt safer in that room with Blaine that I had in years.

            After the song was over, and the boys slowly disbanded, Blaine didn't stick around to talk to any of his schoolmates, he took my hand and pulled me out to the quiet parking lot.

            “Kurt,” he started. My eyes snapped to his, and the calm golden ocean returned. “We need to talk. When are you free?”

            I shrugged, still in slightly in shock. “Now?” I asked.

            Blaine smiled. “Sure. Do you wanna go grab coffee?”

            I nodded showed him over to my car. We kept our hands loosely entwined, an act that felt strangely familiar.

            I climbed into the drivers seat and turned the car on. “Where to?” I asked.

Blaine gave me directions to a nearby coffee place with “scones to die for” and I drove there quickly, Blaine's eyes never leaving me.

            I pulled up to a small, quirky looking coffee shop, and before I even unbuckled my seatbelt, Blaine gripped my hand again. We shared a small smile, and walked inside together. The shop was decorated in bright colors, with colored coloring pages all over the walls. We walked to the counter, and I saw a stack of coloring books along with a pile of crayons. Blaine saw me looking and laughed.

“Whatever you color in the store, they'll put on the walls. I think it's a way for kids to sit still while their parents enjoy their coffee.”

I grinned. “You mean you've never colored one before?” Blaine bit his lip, but his eyes were sparkling. “I'm a kid at heart”, he defended himself. I squeezed his hand and smiled.  I glanced up at the menu board and tried to decide, consciously avoiding eye contact with the barista. After I ordered, and Blaine was looking at the scones, I surreptitiously grabbed two coloring pages and a few crayons.

            We sat down in a corner table, and I set down the coloring pages. Blaine lit up. “See! They're fun!” We both colored for a while, sipping our drinks.  After awhile, I put my crayon down, and picked at the plastic rim of my coffee cup nervously. Time to get serious.

            “So, um, Blaine, I have no idea what to do.”

            He set down his crayon and furrowed his triangular brows. “You mean with the…” He looked around and lowered his voice. “Bond? Neither do I. I would have never thought, in a million years, that I would meet a bonded pair, let alone be part of one. I mean, I always thought soulmates were a myth.”

            I was vividly reminded of a previous conversation with Mercedes earlier that day, and picked at my plastic cup more vigorously.

            “But then I met you,” Blaine continued, face lighting up. “Kurt, I barely know you, but I feel like I've known you forever

            I smiled shakily. I felt the same way, but, strangely, I didn't feel scared. Somehow I knew that being with Blaine was right, that nothing could break us, that I had known him my whole life. Or maybe previous lives. I just knew that he would be by my side forever, and I found myself looking forward to the future for the first time in a long time.  

            “Do we want to tell people?” I asked, pushing my mutilated cup away from me, twining my fingers together.

            Blaine reached across the table, unwound my fingers, and grabbed my hands in his own. “I don't care,” he said softly, meeting my eyes. I stared into them for a minute, letting the tranquil gold waters calm me.  

            I took a deep breath and squeezed his hands slightly. “How about we tell our family, and not avoid our friends. We can tell them we're dating, and if the moment is right, or if it's an accidental eye meet, we won't worry too much. Even with other people. I mean, soulmates are pretty special and I think even conservative Ohio wouldn't care if we're gay.”

            Blaine smiled sadly. “I don't know if everyone will be ok with it, but hopefully their shock will override anything else.”

            He looked pained, and I could feel his sadness.

            “What's wrong?” I asked softly, gripping his hand a little tighter. He looked up at me, eyes moist.

            “I was just remembering some of the worst of my bullying.” He muttered.

            My heart clenched, and I smiled at my new boyfriend sympathetically. “Blaine, I'm here for you. I'm not going to let them touch you. Our pasts are just that- the past. We won't let them touch us, ok?”

            My soulmate smiled, and our eyes met. We reveled in the peace for a bit then Blaine abruptly stood.

            “I forgot that my parents were coming to pick me up for the weekend. I haven't seen them for a couple months. I'm sorry to cut this short, but can you drive me back to Dalton?” I nodded, standing also. I was about to grab our completed coloring pages to hand them to the barista, but Blaine motioned for me to wait while he wrote something on the bottom of both with a pink crayon.

            “Klaine 4ever” they now read. My eyes narrowed in confusion before understanding the message. I slapped his arm playfully.

            “You're crazy”, I informed him. Blaine laughed.

            We handed the pages off to the barista and headed to my car, holding hands once again. Once I had felt Blaine's warm hand fit perfectly in mine, I never wanted to let go.

            As I started the car, Blaine suddenly realized something. “Kurt, you don't go to Dalton, do you? You're not new at all.” I laughed loudly, and pulled out onto the street.

            “No, Blaine,” I said fondly, sneaking a glance at him. “I go to McKinley in Lima. I was at Dalton by the bequest of my Glee club. They wanted to me to spy on Dalton's Warblers.”        

            Blaine gasped in mock offense. “A spy? How rude!” He exclaimed theatrically. I rolled my eyes, yet a smile couldn't help but form on my face.

            “I wasn't actually going to spy!” I protested. “I just wanted to check out Dalton. I wanted to see another kind of school.”

            “Whatever you say,” Blaine said, slightly pacified. I glanced at him and saw he was laughing silently.

            “SO! Parents, huh? How are we going to tell them?” I asked, changing the subject.

            Blaine shrugged. “Just look them in the eyes?” he suggested.

            I thought about it for a second as I pulled into the Dalton parking lot. Simple, quick… it could work. I looked over at Blaine after I parked and saw him staring across the lot, and unreadable expression on his face.

            “Or we could tell them now,” he said softly.

            “What?”

            “My parents are already here,” he clarified. “They're in the silver car across the way.”

            I looked up and saw a beautiful silver BMW, two people climbing out. I gulped.

            “You mean, you want to introduce me to your parents?” I asked, voice jumping an octave. “Blaine, I met you two hours ago! I don't even have your phone number!”

            Blaine bit his lip. “I know. I just…” I could fell fear rolling off him in waves. “I just don't want to be alone when I tell them, you know?”

            I softened. “Ok. I'll go with you. Just give me your phone number first.”

            Blaine laughed, but he willingly exchanged numbers with me. We clambered out of the car and started walking over to his parents. Both adults were dressed quite nicely, as if they had gone to work before Dalton, and his dad was on his phone while his mom seemed to be looking around for her son.

            As we neared them, Blaine seemed to get more nervous.

            I looked at him and frowned. “Are you ok?”

            He nodded shakily. “Yeah, my mom will be happy for us. My dad… well, he isn't all that pro-gay. I just hope…” he trailed off.

            I understood. I touched the small of his back lightly and he smiled at me, relief flooding his face.

            “Thank you for coming with me,” he whispered as we reached his family. I nodded, and focused my attention to his parents, trying to appear as confident as possible.

            His mom, a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and olive skin spied us first.

“Blaine!” She ran to him and hugged him hard, kissing the top of his head. “How are you doing, darling? Eating enough? Sleeping ok? Do we need to fix your room at all-”?

“Mom, I'm fine.” Blaine said, his voice muffled by her blouse. He shot me a grin and an eye roll from around her arms. “I actually need to introduce you to somebody.”

            He untangled himself, and came to stand by me. “Mom, Dad, this is Kurt. My boyfriend.”

            He gripped my hand, and we looked up slowly. I gazed into his mom's eyes, right across from me, and Blaine into his dad's. As we stared, smiles came across both adults' faces, and their eyes seemed to glaze over.

            Blaine and I broke the connections, and they snapped back to reality.

            “Oh my god,” Mrs. Anderson put a hand to her mouth, and her eyes filled up with tears. She pulled both of us toward her, and squeezed us hard. Blaine and I were squished together, and I could smell Mrs. Anderson's exotic perfume.

            She let us go moments later, when she started to cry.  

            “Mom! Don't cry!” Blaine said, alarmed at the sudden turn of events. She shook her head, hand pressed to her mouth once more.

            “It's ok, Blaine,” she said. “I'm just so happy for you. After all you've been through-“ she broke off, burying herself into her husbands chest. Mr. Anderson wrapped a hand around his wife and looked at us critically.

            “How long?” he asked. We looked at each other and I bit my lip.

            “A few hours ago…” Blaine said, looking down at his feet. His father nodded, but didn't say anything.

            Blaine's face fell slightly, but he kept his mouth shut and just gripped my hand tighter.

            “What's your name?” Mr. Anderson asked me.

            “Kurt Hummel, sir,” I answered, standing up straighter.

            His face was unreadable for a moment then he smiled widely.

“Well, Kurt Hummel, welcome to the family,” Blaine's mouth dropped open next to me.

            “Dad?” he asked, voice strangled.

            Mr. Anderson smiled again (an act that made him look quite handsome).

            “Son, I've been hard on you in the past because I believe the Bible says homosexuality is wrong. Homosexual soulmates, though…” he broke off, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

            “God only grants some people a soulmate. That is more important. You two are extremely lucky and I will stand behind you. Both of you.” He smiled, more sadly this time.

            Blaine let go of my hand and seemed to lunge toward his father. He and his parents hugged tightly, arms wrapped around each other.

            I stood awkwardly to the side; happy that Blaine and his parents were reconciling this issue. I was lucky enough to have a dad, step-mom, and brother who were comfortable with my sexuality, but I always wondered what my Mom would think. From what my father had told me, I was fairly positive that she wouldn't mind, but at times like these, I wanted to hear her say it. I wanted to hear her bell-voice one more time, telling me she loved me and that everything was going to be ok. I wanted to show her I had a soulmate. I wanted to hug her, bury my face into her shoulder and smell that perfume I could only barely smell in her dresser drawers. Carole was the best stepmother anyone could have ever asked for, but nothing replaced a true mother.

            I was shaken out of my thoughts as someone laid a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Mrs. Anderson smiling at me.

            She hugged me tightly, and this time I fell into the hug, letting her exotic perfume flood my senses.

            “Welcome to the family,” she whispered into my hair.

            I broke away from her and smiled brightly. “Thank you, Mrs. Anderson,” I said politely.

            She shook her head, dark hair swinging. “Call me Maria, dear. You're my son's soulmate—you are part of the family.”

            I was sincerely touched. “Thank you, Maria,” I said slowly.

            “And call me Galen,” Mr. Anderson said from behind me.

            I turned and thanked Blaine's handsome father.

            “So what now?” Blaine asked. “Should I go with Kurt to tell his father?”

            Mr. Anderson- Galen- pursed his lips thoughtfully. “How about we invite Kurt's parents out to dinner?” he asked. “It'll be Maria and my treat. We can discuss it then. Would that be alright, Kurt?”

            I was shocked by their kindness, but nodded. “I'll call my stepmother right now,” I said. “My dad's probably still at work.”

            Mr. Anderson threw out a time 2 hours later and the name of a restaurant and I walked a few yards away to place the call.

            I called my home number and Carole picked up on the second ring.

            “Hummel residence.”

            “Hi, Carole.”

            “Kurt? Are you alright? Where are you? You didn't come home with Finn.”

            I winced. “I'm in Westerville.”

            I heard her gasp.

            “Kurt! That's an hour away! What are you doing there? Are you in trouble?”

            “No! I'm fine! I came to check out a Glee club here, nothing bad, I promise.”

            Carole sighed over the phone. “Ok, honey. What's up?”

            A friend of mine and I have some news, and I was wondering if you and dad are available to come to dinner with us and his parents.”

            I could feel her confusion over the phone. “Ok, Kurt. What time and where?”

            I gave her the info and she dutifully copied it down.

            “You dad will be home any minute so I'll tell him to get changed quickly. You're sure everything is alright?”

            I laughed lightly. “Carole, everything is fine. Amazing, actually.”

            “Ok then, dear. If you're sure.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “See you in two hours.”

            Maria and Galen picked up Blaine's suitcase and laundry from his dorm room, and we wandered around Dalton, trying to buy time before we had to head to the restaurant. Blaine's parents walked a few steps behind Blaine and me while we laced our fingers together loosely, walking through Dalton's gardens, chatting about anything and everything.

            “How should we tell your dad?” Blaine asked, swinging our hands. “Do you think he'll be ok with this?”

            I sucked my cheeks in. “I think he'll be fine with us. I mean, his son has a soulmate. That is pretty rare. On how to tell him….” I thought for a moment. “Do you want to do what we did with your parents?”

            Blaine smiled at me. “That sounds great.” He paused then added softly, “I love you.”

            I felt as though I should have been surprised, but I could not find any shock at all in me. After we bonded, I knew I would never feel as protected and loved as I did with him, not even with my own father.

            “I love you, too,” I said, stopping in the middle of the path and kissing him softly. “I love you, too.”