Of course, he regretted that decision the minute he woke up the following morning. His phone's battery had died sometime during the night and he had to search through at least five boxes to find the charger. He had to make a conscious effort not to trip when he tried to get out of his room and into the bathroom. One look in the mirror told him that his skin was horrible.

Knowing it would be a long day what with all the unpacking he had to do, he took a quick shower and cut down on his skin care regimen, only going through the very basics. He was just putting on the last part of the day's outfit of choice when the delicious smell of bagels hit his nose. Curious, Kurt stuck his head out of his doorway only to be met with the sight of Tash hanging her cloak and grabbing a paper bag from the floor. When she looked up from removing her shoes, her gaze fell on Kurt.

"Hey there. Thought I'd get us some bagels for breakfast. You seemed busy and unpacking is a lot easier with a full stomach. But we really have to go grocery shopping today, there's literally nothing in that fridge."

Kurt just stared at her wordlessly, his gaze wandering to the bagels every now and then. "I think I might be in love with you."

"Make sure Blaine doesn't hear that," she laughed him off, petting his shoulder amicably on her way to the kitchen. Kurt followed her like a lost puppy, drawn to the bag of bagels as if it was magnetic.

"Hungry?" Tash asked in a playful tone after the third time she nearly ran into Kurt in the tiny kitchen.

"Very. Sorry if I'm standing in the way but I just can't seem to be able to get away from those bagels. Who knew empty calories could be that tempting."

His roommate just looked at him knowingly before handing Kurt a wholemeal one with cream cheese and taking a spelt one for herself.

"I hope you like cream cheese. Because in all honesty, we don't have anything else right now. At least not until we've been grocery shopping."

"Cream cheese is fine with me. Do you know where to go?"

"There's supposed to be a supermarket right around the corner, according to the old lady I met in the elevator yesterday. You want to keep me company once you're done unpacking?"
"Sure, why not? I need a few things for myself, anyway. Just don't expect us to get out of here anytime soon if you're waiting for me. My wardrobe is huge."

"Wouldn't expect anything less of a Parsons student. I've got a few things left to get out of those awful boxes, too. Besides, one can never spend too much time decorating their room. I'll survive the wait, trust me."

They grinned at each other before practically attacking the poor bagels. Kurt thanked her with a quick hug before disappearing into his room, determined to get everything unpacked as soon as possible.

XxxxxxxxxX

Three hours later, Kurt's clothes were stored in his wardrobe, the books placed on the shelf and the shoes stowed away in a cabinet. There were posters of his favorite Broadway musicals on the walls and a picture of Blaine and him Burt had taken over the summer on his nightstand. Tash had showed him where to put the kitchen supplies he'd brought with him and together they'd checked how much storage room they'd have left for their groceries.

Basically, he was done unpacking. There was only one thing left to do. The moment he thought about it, his eyes wandered to the huge stack of photos resting on his bed. He'd seen the photos in the hallway quite a few times now, having to pass them every time he wanted to get into the tiny bathroom or the kitchen. Tash had left him half of the wall to put up his own photos.

Still, he hesitated. Did he really want everyone that might be happening to come to their apartment over the next year to see all the memories he held dear upon entering? Wasn't it a bit like living in the past, plastering the walls of his new home with pictures of his old friends and his family? Not that he wanted to forget about them, he just wasn't sure it was a wise decision to have them right in front of him every single day. He didn't want to feel homesick - at least not any more than he already did - on his first few days in New York.

As if she'd somehow sensed his distress, there was a knock on his door. Kurt quickly called for Tash to come in, immediately returning to his staring duel with the photos.

"Thinking about whether you want to put them up?"

Surprised, Kurt turned around, almost cracking his neck in the process. "How did you know that?"

"Been there before," she chuckled at him, staring blankly at the photos from where she was leaning against the wall next to Kurt's shoe cabinet. "I've been wondering forever if it would be a good idea to put them up in the hallway. But then I thought about not having them around at all and that just felt so wrong. So it was either the hallway or my room. Then I realized I had enough photos to redecorate the whole apartment, so I took the most important ones and split them between my only two options. I'm proud of my friends and my family and I don't really care if some people feel like I flaunt them in their face."

Their eyes locked and Kurt smiled at her for a minute - a real one, not the polite version he usually put on for strangers - before gesturing to the photos.

"Mind helping me sort out? I don't know if I can choose. I love all of them so much, that's why I brought them with me."

"Of course not." She rolled her eyes at him before walking over to the bed and making herself comfortable, already going through a smaller pile of photos featuring the New Directions. Kurt followed her lead, grasping the family ones. He'd leave the pictures of him and Blaine for last because he just knew he'd tear up at most of them.

He had a lot of fun telling Tash all the stories behind the photos and just as he'd predicted, he eventually and inevitably started crying. Tash didn't say anything and just handed him a new tissue every now and then, going on as if her interlocutor wasn't currently dissolving in quiet tears. Kurt couldn't have been more grateful that she didn't try to console him and just acted as if nothing was off about their situation.

Another good hour later, Kurt and Tash were putting the photos that wouldn't be hanging in his room (right over Kurt's bed) up in the hallway. Kurt kept asking her about every picture on her half of the wall while they worked and unavoidably got the same reaction he'd been having earlier. He decided to return the favor and acted as if nothing happened, just keeping up light conversation while covering the wall in photos of his closest friends, family and Blaine.

The tears didn't last long, though. Soon enough they were engaged in a heated debate on which one of them made the cuter couple, only interrupted by mutual cooing over especially adorable pictures. It was almost four by the time they were finally done and they were positively starving. Kurt decided that the million pictures he wanted to take of his now suitably decorated room and the hallway so he could send them to all of his friends would have to wait until after he'd eaten something.

They found the supermarket in no time at all. The old lady hadn't been lying when she'd said right around the corner. Kurt didn't even have the time to get overly excited at the fact that he was finally walking the streets of New York again - the city he now lived in - before they already stepped through its doors. While it wasn't that different from any other supermarket, its range of products was decidedly wider than anything he'd ever seen in Lima, Ohio. They actually offered almost everything Kurt's culinary heart desired.

"I don't even want to remember the lengths I had to go to to find that brand of balsamic vinegar in Lima. I think I might have died and ended up in some sort of culinary paradise."

Tash just nodded wordlessly next to him, wide eyes fixated on the never-ending row of shelves showcasing, it seemed, every single type of pasta there was. Needless to say they spent almost two hours walking up and down every single row at least twice, reveling in the multitude of products they had been unable to get their hands on for so long before actually deciding on something they wanted.

They ended up agreeing on the delicious sounding recipe for fragrant coconut rice Kurt had found online. He'd wanted to try it out for years but Burt and later on Finn had been way too addicted to meat to even consider anything not containing any worthy of being called a meal and with Blaine there had been so much else to try he'd never found the time to do it.

Tash was more than willing to give it a shot, though, so Kurt seized his chance. He quickly thanked the genius that had invented the smartphone as he googled the recipe for the ingredients. Tash watched over his shoulder, propping her chin on his left one, almost having to raise to her tiptoes to see anything. She was considerably taller than Blaine but the gesture reminded Kurt so much of his boyfriend that he had to fight down a fresh wave of tears. Kurt Hummel would not start crying in the middle of a freaking supermarket.

Luckily, Tash's voice right next to his ear distracted him from his current emotional turmoil.

"That doesn't sound too difficult. Can I trust you with our kitchen?"

"Most certainly. According to my stepbrother, I have magical cooking skills."

"In that case... Want to do it together?"

Kurt smiled to himself even though he knew Tash wouldn't be able to see it. He'd always dreamed of having a roommate to cook with.

"Sure, why not?"

"And how would you feel about eating that delicious meal we're going to cook while watching The Sound of Music, oh Kurt?" Tash winked at him, finally back to standing on her own two feet.

"I think you just stepped out of my 'perfect roommate'-fantasy," Kurt muttered.

"God, no. I'm just trying to get on your good side before I start to annoy the hell out of you. And if I get to sing along to The Sound of Music while doing so you won't hear me complain."

They locked eyes for a second before they cracked up right next to the milk products. No one was even giving them a second look and Kurt suddenly felt elated that he was here. For a moment, it hit him that this was really happening. He was in New York with his roommate who seemed to be pretty awesome. He was free. This was just the beginning and even though he didn't get into NYADA and had had to change his plans a bit he felt that he would make it here. He would make it here and Blaine would come and join him next year and life would finally be his very own version of perfect. He couldn't deny that he was eagerly anticipating that moment with every fiber of his being.