Kurt turned into The Lima Bean’s parking lot and found a spot towards the back of the lot. With fall in full swing, people seemed to start ingesting coffee more frequently now that the temperatures were cooler and the menu featured pumpkin-flavored drinks and baked goods. He shuddered a little when he thought about the fact that he was working here a few months ago before he moved to New York. He was afraid he was going to become a Lima Loser but Blaine had come to his rescue and encouraged him to follow his dreams and go to New York with Rachel.

He looked over at Blaine who was still holding his hand but had remained quiet during their ten-minute drive. “Blaine, are you sure everything is okay?” Kurt pressed.

Blaine jumped slightly once Kurt spoke. It was almost as if he had forgotten that Kurt was there. “Yeah. My parents were just acting kind of weird this morning, so I’m overanalyzing their reaction,” he stated, slightly embarrassed that he would think that way.

“It’s okay to be worried. They seemed like they were fine when I saw them on my way out. But you know if something was up, your parents would tell you.” He paused. “Don’t worry about it too much, honey,” Kurt said sweetly.

Blaine looked at him, his eyes worried but his smile suggested that Kurt was right. “I know. You’re right. I just overanalyze things too much. It really gets the best of me sometimes.”

“It happens. That’s why it takes me so long to get ready. I overanalyze every outfit choice.”

Blaine laughed. Kurt’s heart swelled. He loved it when Blaine laughed. “It’s not quite the same thing, but thank you for being so empathetic,” Blaine said as he pinched Kurt’s cheek.

Kurt playfully slapped his hand away. “You’re not my grandmother, so no cheek pinching allowed.”

Blaine sighed. “Fine. Spoil sport.” He winked and opened the door. Kurt followed suit and met Blaine at the door to The Lima Bean and rushed a few steps ahead of Blaine to hold the door open for him.

“Why, thank you kind sir,” he said, bowing slightly as he crossed the threshold.

A few months away and the place still had hardly changed. Kurt hadn’t expected it to change but he thought it might feel different going back there after all the memories that place held for him. But it felt the same, in a good way. The only difference was that fall-themed decorations were now displayed where the iced drink promotions had been the summer that he worked there. He breathed in deeply as the aroma of pumpkin spice and cinnamon filled his nostrils and walked toward the counter.

Thankfully, Kurt didn’t recognize any of the people behind the counter, which meant he didn’t have to go through the motions of “oh, how is New York?” “great, how is Lima?” chit-chat. Blaine had just approached the counter to place their orders so Kurt decided to grab a table, their table, and wait.

He sat and stared at the table’s chestnut veneer. He lightly traced his hands over the top of the table as if touching it ignited all the memories he shared with Blaine at the coffee shop. Memories came pouring out as if his fingertips had forced them forward; their coffee chats with Mercedes and Rachel, their first fight after Blaine kissed Rachel, the time they said their first ‘I love you’, the moment Blaine knew he would be transferring to McKinley, the way Blaine stopped by The Lima Bean every day that Kurt worked there during the summer.

Blaine sat down and Kurt still focused intently on the tabletop. “Uh, Kurt. You realize you look crazy for staring at a table, right?”

He jerked himself into the present and took the coffee cup from Blaine’s outstretched hand. “I am crazy. Crazy about you,” he smiled, fully aware that he sounded incredibly cheesy. “We’ve shared a lot of memories at this table. I was just thinking about them for a moment.”

A smile crept onto Blaine’s face. “You’re such a dork sometimes,” he said, over exaggerating as he rolled his eyes.

“Oh please. You love it.”