CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

FRIDAY NIGHT

Can't I have one hint about Sunday? –B

That would spoil all the fun. –K

I warned you, I'm not a huge fan of surprises. –B

So I guess the surprise party I had planned for your birthday is out, huh? –K

Speaking of, when is your birthday? –K

God, no surprise parties. My brother threw me one once and I didn't speak to him for a week. It's September 23. Why do you want to know my birthday? –B

For my psychic reading obviously. ;) Just curious really and it was something I hadn't asked you yet. Figured it might be good to know. –K

Well, when is yours? Turn about is fair play. –B

October 1. And as you know, I love surprises. –K

Noted. And happy very belated birthday to you. –B

I guess it's better late than never, huh? And happy belated birthday to you too. –K

My birthday was almost a month ago! –B

Well then happy early birthday! –K

You're so weird. –B

Oh whatever. You like it. –K

That I do. ;) –B

I'm sorry. –S

Why are you apologizing? I'm so sorry that I made you feel like I was lying to you. –B

I know you weren't. I just overreacted and I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. –S

Not gonna lie, it scared the shit out of me. –B

I have that effect on people when I'm mad. Beware. –S

What are you up to tonight? –S

Nothing planned. –B

Want to get dinner? –S

Anything for my best friend in the whole wide world! –B

Your compliments will only take you so far, Anderson. –S

I see Lady Snixx has come out. Meoww! –B

You're an idiot. –S

But you love this idiot! –B

Whatever. Meet me at 5 Napkin at 45thand 9that 6. –S

Burgers? That's so unlike you. –B

Well, my week has called for it and I swear burgers cure all ails. So I figured I could talk it over with my BFF and eat some meat and share fries. –S

Sharing fries? No offense, but it sounds like we might need two orders of fries – you know how I feel about sharing those babies. –B

Fine, fine. But dinner is on me, I insist. –S

You don't have to do that. –B

It's the least I can do after that scene at the office this morning. And besides, I won't take no for an answer and you know I'll fight you until the end if you argue with me over this. –S

Alright, alright. See you at 6? –B

Yup. –S

Also, you have some explaining to do. –S

What are you talking about? –B

Oh, we will discuss it at dinner. Don't you fret. –S

Oh god, I'm afraid. –B

You should be. –S

Do you have to work tonight? –W

Yes Wesley. It's Friday night and I work in a theater. I always work weekends. –K

I feel like I never see you anymore. –W

I just saw you the other morning! –K

Doesn't count. It was for like five minutes and then you left me for another guy! –W

Are you sure you're straight? –K

Incredibly straight. If I weren't, you'd be my boy by now. –W

Why do I live with you? –K

Because I'm the best? –W

So modest. –K

Well, I really would like to have some roommate time soon. I know you don't work Sunday nights, let's do something then! –W

I can't. I have plans already. –K

Laaaaaaame. –W

How about Monday night? I don't work Monday so we can hang out then. –K

I was supposed to go to a networking event at the firm, but I guess my roommate time is more important. See what I am willing to do for you? –W

Also, what time do you get off work tomorrow? –W

Whatever. Like you really want to go to a networking event. Uh, probably 11? Why? –K

David and I are going to a Halloween party if you wanted to tag along, assuming you didn't have plans or anything. –W

David? –K

Yeah, that guy I went to Dalton with. –W

OH. Sorry. You know I'm horrible with remembering people. Perhaps? –K

Come ON Kurt, get out some. Or just get some. ;) –W

Perv. Fine, fine - I'll go. Where's the party? –K

I don't have the exact address, David does. It's somewhere in Chelsea so close to home. –W

I suppose. Can I bring someone? –K

Is it a certain gentleman caller? –W

No. Lauren, my friend from work. –K

Sure. Although you could bring Mystery Man if you wanted to. –W

We had an agreement, Wes. –K

Fine, fine. Just a thought. Anyway, pull something together with you and Lauren and we'll do it big. –W

As if I could expect anything else from you. –K

BLAINE

By the time I had arrived at 5 Napkin Burger, Santana was already there. I had expected her to be since she had taken half of the day off and didn't have to come straight from the office like I did. Plus the restaurant was only a few streets south of where we lived so it wasn't like she was trekking across town or anything.

"If I had to wait any longer, I was going to have to order and eat without you," she said once I was seated.

"Geez San. Are you that hungry?"

"Not really, I had a late lunch but I need some comfort food so I'm just eager to get my greasy on."

I sighed as she delved into the menu. Santana was normally a fairly heath-conscious eater, primarily because Brittany was due to her work as a dancer, but sometimes she and I would pig out on some burgers, fries and pizza if the moment called for it. Typically the moments that required such food was a bad day at the office or some sort of heartbreak so the fact that she wanted to come here already had me worried.

"I do hope you're going to explain why we're eating here," I said pointedly.

Santana just waved over the top of the menu as if to dismiss the topic as she continued to peruse the many burgers they had available. "I will. But can we please just order first?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sure."

Within minutes, orders were placed and drinks were at our table and Santana couldn't avoid me anymore. I just glared at her expectantly until she resigned herself to spill what was going on.

"Britt and I had a really big fight on Wednesday."

The look of annoyance on my face due to Santana's hesitance to share immediately changed to one of concern and care. In the few years I had known the two of them, they had rarely fought and when they did, they were generally over really big things. Their last fight had taken place over a year ago and it had been over how they were planning on splitting their holidays between families. With Santana's family primarily in Ohio and Brittany's in New York, it made spending time with both families on Christmas Day nearly impossible and neither wanted to budge on giving up family Christmas time since both were so close with their immediate family. In the end they had agreed to fly between locales on Christmas Day – giving each family half of Christmas Day – and spending two days on the front and back end with the respective families. The argument had only lasted two days, but seeing how torn apart Santana was after two nights of them fighting, I realized exactly why they fought so rarely; they were in love and were so attuned with each other that fighting just wasn't part of their relationship.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I said incredulously. Santana could be guarded from time to time, but whenever she fought with Brittany, she needed to be coddled stat; girl hated to fight with her best friend and love of her life.

"You had a lot going on and so did I. I didn't want to bother you. Plus it was something I thought she and I would have talked about sooner but our schedules just haven't aligned."

"San, you're never bothering me by talking about what's going on in your life. I promise you. But we can talk about that part later. What happened that made you and Britt fight?"

"Well, Britt and I have been together for awhile now and we've been feeling pressure from our families and friends to tie the knot."

"But I thought you-"

"Blaine, please. Just let me speak," she coarsely interjected. I nodded silently. "Thanks. It's not that I don't appreciate your comments and notes, but I need to just get it out." Another silent nod. "Okay, so. Both of our families have been asking about us getting married. And it's not like I don't want to spend the rest of my life with her; in my mind, that's going to happen. She and I will be wrinkly and in adult diapers together but still managing to look sexy as hell at the nursing home we get put into when we're old. But we're both so busy right now, it doesn't make sense to get married right now."

She sat in silence for a minute, which I took as an opportunity to speak. "Why do you think now isn't a good time?"

"She just started her new job and with the launch of Atticus Finch it'll be pretty busy over the next few months. I don't want for us to get married when we're in such a whirlwind in our careers that we don't get to enjoy it."

"Enjoy what?"

"Enjoy being engaged, enjoy a wedding. It's hard enough to see each other as it is and we live together!"

Santana was practically red at this point. I could tell that this had been eating her up for a while longer than she was letting on. Anyone who knew Brittany or Santana couldn't deny the unconditional love between those two – they were some of my best examples of how "unconventional" love can be pure, true and everlasting. I could see plain as day that those two women were going to get married.

But I was all too familiar with the pressures to get married when you get to a certain age and more so when you've been with someone for five years like they had. It was an annoying side effect of our parent's generation; they had gotten married well before 30, so waiting just didn't make sense to them – even if we were a bunch of gay kids.

"Santana, look. I know that you're going to end up with Brittany. Shit, everyone that knows you knows that."

"Then why did Brittany think I wouldn't want her? God, I dream of the day I can call her my wife," she replied quietly.

I shrugged. "I don't know why Brittany would think that. But I think this whole situation can be remedied by just talking with Brittany." I paused to give her a moment to think before going on about one point that I knew to be true. "But at the same time, I don't think now is a bad time to get engaged – if you really want it that is."

She looked up at me, slightly baffled by my response. "Blaine, I just told you I don't think now is a good time."

"You misunderstand me. I see why now might not be a good time to prepare for having a wedding. But who's to say that you can't get engaged now and just have a long term engagement, especially if it means you'd end this fight with Brittany."

She sighed. "Won't that seem slightly insincere? I mean it'll seem like I am caving to some sort of ultimatum."

God, Santana really didn't give me any credit. "San, how long have you had Brittany's engagement ring hidden in the drawer in the kitchen?"

Her eyes bugged at my comment. "How did you..? But I thought I..."

I scoffed. "Please San, I found that thing awhile ago, which I wastryingto mention earlier before you cut me off." She shrunk in her seat a bit before I continued. "I thought it was a rather unconventional hiding place, but I realized that Brittany never uses kitchen utensils so it made more sense to hide it there than in your underwear drawer or something. So clearly you've been wanting to do this for awhile. Why have you had it for so long and haven't proposed?"

"I wanted it to beperfectand every time I tried to plan anything, it came up feeling inadequate. And then when work ramped up, I spent too much time preparing for work that working on the perfect proposal for Brittany fell behind. I just... want everything for her."

"San," I breathed. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? You know I would have helped you."

"I just wanted to try to do something for her myself. B, I know you're like some sort of uber-romantic freak," she stated, earning a heart-roaring laugh from me, "but I really wanted to try to think of something incredible and thoughtful myself. It's not necessarily my forte, but I wanted to try."

"I don't think you get it, San. I wasn't saying I was going to help you plan what you wanted for Britt. I meant that I would have helped you calm down and realize that no matter what you do, it'll be perfect. You could propose next to a Port-o-Potty and she'd still say yes."

She laughed heartily. "I hope that I would come up with something better thanthat." With her pause as she drifted off to thinking about how to propose to her honey, I grabbed her hand from across the table. Her eyes flickered down to our hands for a moment before looking at me. "Thanks, B."

"Of course," I replied. "It's what best friends do."

"I'm going to do it tomorrow," she beamed.

I mirrored her smile. "Sounds perfect. Although now I think dinner needs to be on me."

Her eyebrow shot up with curiosity. "Why's that?"

I grinned. "Early engagement present."

"Please. If you think dinner will suffice as an early engagement present, I'm starting to question our friendship."

I laughed heartily as Santana rolled her eyes playfully before explaining how she was hoping to propose this weekend.

Yeah, I thought to myself.She'll be okay.

KURT

"Lauren!" I exclaimed as I shuffled backstage once the show was over for the night. The show had gone as well as they normally had, no mishaps or anything, but I hadn't yet spoken to my friend about her plans for Halloween.

I was irritated with Wes for not bringing up his Halloween plans earlier since he knew Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. And I had resigned myself to not go all out for Halloween this year since I had only been back in the city for a few weeks and had no time to really pull together a costume. It was so unlike me to not have a fabulously handcrafted costume, but I hadn't had the time and my roommate was an idiot.

But if I was going to have a last minute Halloween look, I wanted Lauren to be my +1. Besides, I had the feeling that she wasn't super into the partying scene either – meaning she and I could escape if we thought the party went too out of control – but she also could use some exposure to the Manhattanites that dwelled on the island. Sure, she was in Brooklyn, but Manhattan parties are another animal all in themselves. Plus I bet she could meet a guy with that confidence she exuded and that new body she was rocking and I happen to be an amazing wingman.

"I'm back here," I heard her yell from the make-up area. I opened the door to find Lauren carefully placing the many products and containers back into position for the Saturday afternoon show. If I thought the costume area was controlled chaos, the make-up area was even more so. There were tiny bottles and packets everywhere and a slight dust from all of the powders used for stage make-up; it was my worst nightmare. Picking up a spilled container of straight pins seemed like a cakewalk when you had to contain this type of mess.

I leaned into the doorframe as Lauren continued to hustle around the room, picking up brushes and wiping off the surface of everything. "What can I do for you, Hummel?" she asked.

"Do you have any plans after the show tomorrow?"

She laughed. "The only plans I had were with my DVR and Downton Abbey. So, no."

"How would you feel about joining me for a Halloween party?"

She peered up at me through the mirror. "Uh sure?"

"Why do you seem so unsure about it?"

Lauren sighed then scooted back to sit in the chair. She practically flopped into the chair and let her arms and legs lag over the sides of it. "I'm not a big partier."

"Neither am I, dear," I stated pointedly.

"I've just never felt comfortable, you know? You remember high school; I wasn't exactly invited to a lot of stuff unless I was pitied upon by someone."

"Hey!" I sneered. "I invited you to things!"

"I know you did, but you were far nicer than anyone else at McKinley and that's because you knew what I was like to be an outsider," she said solemnly.

I stepped up behind her and rubbed her shoulders. She immediately relaxed more in the beauty chair she sat in. "And New York is supposed to be a new start, right? It's been a few years since McKinley. And besides, you need to take this hot little body out on the town."

She slapped my hands away from her shoulders with a grin as she sat up in the chair. "Fine. Count me in. And I already have a Halloween costume in mind."

"Lucky you," I groaned. "I don't have a costume and normally I spend weeks planning and creating the perfect costume. I guess I'll have to just find something sub-par at the last minute."

She smirked. "No you don't."

"Huh?"

She grabbed my hand and led me back out toward my workspace in the costume area. "You forget, dear sir, you work in a theater in the costume department. And I know just what you can wear."

"Dear god, I'm afraid." I prayed to the deities I didn't truly believe in as she shoved me into the costume room and firmly closed the door behind us.

"You should be," she replied with a wink.