Chapter Two:  This Dating Thing

Wednesday April 9, 2014

“Thanks again for doing this, Carole,” Kurt said as he walked out of his bedroom, down the hall and into the kitchen. He was grateful that Carole was so willing to watch Aly so he could go out for a few hours. She had even come over early so Kurt had plenty of time to choose an outfit. He had finally settled on a white button-down shirt with a gray vest and his best skinny jeans.

“Nonsense, I love watching my granddaughter,” Carole said with a smile as set a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of Aly. Aly immediately picked up her fork and began to eat.

The buzzer sounded. This time, instead of running out to meet Blaine, Kurt pressed the button so he could come up to the apartment. A knock sounded at the door a few seconds later and Kurt hurried to open the door.

“Hi, are you ready?” Blaine asked with a smile as the door swung open. He was wearing a black, collared shirt, red pants, and a red striped bowtie. His hair was as messy as ever, but Kurt definitely did not mind.

“Almost. Just give me a second,” Kurt answered. He pulled a surprised Blaine into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

The apartment door opened into the living room. The walls were painted white and the carpet was beige. A white couch was pushed against the far wall, an end table beside it with a floor lamp behind the table. To the right of the end table was a white love seat. In front of the love seat was an oak coffee table. To the right of the couch was a recliner that was pushed into the corner. Across from the recliner was a TV which faced the living room diagonally.

Kurt walked to the entrance of the kitchen, Blaine following behind him. Blaine looked around the kitchen. To the right there was a square oak table that sat six. Kurt’s daughter, Aly, was sitting at the table. Beside Aly was a middle aged woman with short brown hair. Behind the table was a pair of white slotted folding doors. To the left were the refrigerator, stove, oven, and other appliances, all in white.

“Aly Cat, Daddy’s going now,” Kurt told his daughter.

Aly jumped out of her pink and white booster seat and ran over to Kurt, who knelt down so she could jump into his arms. He stood up, balancing Aly on one hip.

“Carole, this is Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is my stepmother Carole Hummel,” Kurt introduced the two.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Carole gushed, rushing over to envelope Blaine in a hug.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Hummel,” Blaine said with a charming smile.

“Please, call me Carole.”

“Carole it is then.”

“Do you hab to go?” Aly asked sadly, bored with watching the exchange between her grandmother and her father’s date.

“I do, but you’ll have fun with Mimi,” Kurt told her. He set her back on the ground, kneeling down on her level. Kurt smoothed out her cornflower blue sundress. “I love you.”

“How mush?” Aly asked with a smile.

“This much!” Kurt spread his arms wide.

“I wuv you tis mush!” Aly threw out her arms as far as they would go.

“That much? That’s a lot.” Kurt pulled her back into his arms, standing up. “Can I have a kiss?”

Aly nodded. Kurt kissed her quickly before handing her off to Carole. Aly went to Carole willingly but her eyes were only for her father. She laid her head on Carole’s shoulder, continuing to watch her father.

“I love you. Be good for Mimi,” Kurt told her.

“Okay,” Aly said with a slight pout. She didn’t want her father to leave.

“’Bye, Carole. Call me if anything happens,” Kurt said, embracing her quickly.

“I will. You boys have fun,” Carole said, pressing a kiss to Kurt’s cheek.

“Are you ready?” Kurt asked. He turned to Blaine, who had been watching the entire exchange between Kurt and his daughter with a smile. It was clear that to Kurt everything came second to Aly’s happiness and wellbeing.

“Whenever you are,” Blaine answered, following Kurt to the door. He waved goodbye to Carole and Aly.

Kurt closed the door after them, locking it before they started down the stairs. As they walked out into the cool April air, Blaine reached over and grabbed Kurt’s hand, linking their fingers together. Kurt bit his lip to hide a smile.

“I’m sorry if that was awkward for you. I hadn’t said goodbye to her yet and I didn’t want to make you wait downstairs,” Kurt said as they crossed the parking lot.

“It wasn’t awkward. Aly’s adorable,” Blaine assured him, squeezing his hand lightly.

“Thank you,” Kurt said with a fond smile.

“She looks like you,” Blaine told him as he opened up the car door for Kurt, causing Kurt to blush.

Kurt slid into the seat, waiting until Blaine had joined him in the car before he spoke. “She has her mother’s hair.”

“But your eyes and nose,” Blaine pointed out as he backed out of the parking space. “So Carole is your stepmother?”

“She is.” Kurt nodded. “My mom died when I was eight.”

“I’m so sorry,” Blaine said, pulling out onto the road.

“It was a long time ago,” Kurt answered. “I still miss her. Honestly, I think Aly looks more like her than anyone else. It’s like Aly is keeping her memory alive.”

“Did you name Aly after her?” Blaine asked, glancing at Kurt before moving his eyes back to the road.

“Her middle name is Elizabeth after my mom,” Kurt answered. He had a sad smile on his face. “Though, when I was fourteen I legally had my middle name changed to Elizabeth in her honor.”

“That’s sweet. I’m sorry if I’m bringing up bad memories.” Blaine reached across the console to take Kurt’s hand in his again.

“You’re not,” Kurt assured him with a shake of his head.

“What is Aly short for?” Blaine asked curiously as he stopped for a red light.

Kurt blushed, ducking his head as he answered, “Alexandra, after the late Alexander McQueen.”

Blaine chuckled as he slowly accelerated. “Well, Alexandra Elizabeth is a beautiful name.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said with a small smile. They sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the car ride. Before long, they were being seated in the restaurant. After the waitress had taken their drink orders, Kurt turned to Blaine. “You have me at an unfair advantage.”

“How so?” Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know all about me but I know nothing about you.”

"I’d hardly say I know all about you,” Blaine answered.

“There’s really not much to know about me,” Kurt replied, staring at his hands.

“Except you have a daughter.” Blaine tilted his head slightly.

“Yes, but that’s really it. Aly is my entire life.” Kurt looked up at Blaine as he spoke. His face softened as he thought of his daughter.

The waitress brought their waters, interrupting the conversation. Once she left, Blaine smiled. He took a quick sip of his water before speaking.

“So what do you want to know?” Blaine asked, lacing his fingers together and setting them on the table.

“Did you grow up in Lima?” Kurt asked, spinning the straw in his water glass between two fingers.

“No, I was born and raised in Westerville. I only moved to Lima about a year and a half ago,” Blaine said as he set his glass down.

“And your parents. . .”

“Are totally different people,” Blaine finished his sentence. “When I first came out my mom wasn’t accepting, but after I ended up in the hospital from bullying she did a complete one-eighty. She realized that I was gay, and nothing was ever going to change that. I had been born gay and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Ever since, all she’s wanted is for me to be happy. My dad’s a different story. He’s always trying to turn me into someone I’m not.”

Kurt winced. That was how he had ended up a teenage father. Of course, no one had tried to turn him into someone else. Kurt had made that decision on his own.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Blaine apologized immediately.

“No, it’s okay. My family didn’t push me into pretending to be straight. I did. That was my choice. My dad was spending a lot of time with my stepbrother and I was jealous. I was convinced he saw Finn as the perfect son. I made a mistake, but I got the most wonderful gift out of it. So I don’t regret it. Not for one second,” Kurt said with a small smile. He paused for a second before asking, “You said you ended up in the hospital from bullying. May I ask what happened?”

“You may,” Blaine answered with a slow nod. “Some jocks at my first high school decided they didn’t like that I was gay. They threw me down a flight of stairs. When I got to the bottom of the first they pushed me down the second. I broke my wrist and several ribs.”

Kurt gasped. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Blaine replied. “That’s all in the past. I’m a stronger person today because I went through that. Now, why don’t we talk about something happier?”

They spent the rest of the date getting to know each other. They had a lot in common. They were both in their high school’s glee club; they loved Broadway musicals. They both loved to read and shared a love for the Harry Potter series. Kurt was sad the date was over when Blaine walked him up to his door, but he couldn’t wait to get back to Aly.

“I had fun tonight,” Blaine said, leaning against the wall by Kurt’s door.

“I did too,” Kurt said with a smile.

“So when do I get to see you again?” Blaine asked, hoping he wasn’t mistaken and Kurt really did want to see him again. He tried not to sound too hopeful but failed.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ll have to see when someone can watch Aly for me. I don’t want to leave her too often though,” Kurt said hesitantly. It still killed him every day he dropped her off at daycare or preschool, and he’d been doing that for two years.

“I understand. Maybe we can meet for lunch one day while she’s at preschool,” Blaine suggested. He knew Aly always came first but he would leap at any chance to spend more time with Kurt.

“Are you sure you’re real?” Kurt laughed.

“I don’t know. Maybe this will convince you,” Blaine said before he leaned in to brush his lips against Kurt’s. Kurt’s breath hitched. Of course he had been kissed before, but again, Brittany didn’t count.

When Blaine pulled back, Kurt was disappointed. They looked at each other for a second before Blaine moved one hand to cup Kurt’s cheek, kissing him again. He was surprised when he felt Blaine’s tongue snake across his bottom lip, but he opened his mouth eagerly. Their tongues tangled together as the passion rose. Kurt finally pulled away, breathing heavily.

“I should go,” he whispered.

Blaine nodded. “Do you want to meet for lunch on Friday?”

“That sounds perfect,” Kurt said with a smile.

“Good.” Blaine brushed his lips against Kurt’s cheek. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Kurt answered. He watched Blaine walk back down the stairs with a smile on his face. Maybe this dating thing wasn’t so bad after all.

KAB

Tuesday May 13, 2014

A month passed by quickly. Kurt met Blaine for lunch twice a week, though these lunch periods went by much too fast for both men. They had only had one other real date, two weeks after their second when Carole had offered to babysit Aly again. Kurt had been reluctant at first but Carole really wanted to spend some time with Aly so he relented in the end.

Kurt sighed unhappily as he ate the rest of his sandwich. He knew they had only been together for a month, but Kurt found himself wishing Blaine was there. They were meeting tomorrow for lunch, but Kurt missed his company. He was forced to eat his lunch alone today while Puck worked on a car and his father went to the hospital to have lunch with Carole. Kurt knew he would have been more than welcome to join his father and stepmother, but he didn’t want to take away from their private time. He had taken up too much of that when he became a father at the tender age of seventeen.

“Yo, Kurt!” Puck’s voice called out from the garage. Kurt rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer when Puck knew exactly where he was. He leaned back in the chair, balancing on two chair legs. Puck appeared in the doorway with someone following behind him, though Kurt couldn’t see who. “Your boy toy is here!”

“Blaine!” Kurt squeaked when Blaine stepped out from behind Puck. He was so shocked, Kurt forgot to balance the chair and fell over backwards. His head hit the ground with a crack and he moaned in pain.

"Kurt!” Blaine hurried around the desk to kneel next to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kurt answered, trying awkwardly to disentangle himself from the chair.

Blaine extended his hand, smiling with Kurt took it. He pulled Kurt up, holding him against his chest for a moment before he let go.

“That was hilarious!” Puck said in between peals of laughter. Kurt glared at him. Puck swallowed hard and made a hasty exit.

“That wasn’t at all embarrassing,” Kurt said with a blush, straightening his coveralls.

Blaine chuckled, pressing his lips to Kurt’s cheek. “Don’t be embarrassed.”

“Too late,” Kurt said as he brushed himself off. “What are you doing here? Our lunch date isn’t until tomorrow.”

“Well, I missed you. And I got you something. Think of it as an early birthday present,” Blaine said as he perched on the edge of Burt’s desk.

“Blaine, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Kurt said.

“I know I didn’t have to but I wanted to. And technically I didn’t get you anything I won you something,” Blaine said with a mischievous look.

“What do you mean you won me something?” Kurt asked in confusion. He didn’t know of any fairs or carnivals in town.

“There was a contest on the radio today. I called in and I won, wait for it, two tickets to see Lady Gaga in Columbus on May 27th, your birthday,” Blaine announced as he pulled two tickets out of his back pocket.

“What!” Kurt exclaimed. “Please tell me you’re not kidding!”

“I’m not,” Blaine said with a chuckle as Kurt flung himself into Blaine’s arms. “I thought we could drive down there on Tuesday, get a hotel room, and drive back on Wednesday.”

Kurt froze, pulling back to look into Blaine’s hazel eyes. “I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea.”

“Why not?” Blaine asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Kurt had just been excited but now he had doubts?

“I have to think about Aly, Blaine,” Kurt reminded him patiently.

“I know. I thought maybe your father and Carole could watch her,” Blaine said slowly. He didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. After all, Aly wasn’t his daughter. Blaine had had very little contact with the girl.

“Overnight?” Kurt asked uncertainly.

“Kurt,” Blaine paused, unsure of how to continue. “Have you ever spent a night apart from Aly?”

Kurt bit his lip, hesitating before he answered honestly. “No.”

“Really?” Blaine said in surprise. “But I thought your glee club went to nationals in New York your junior year and to Chicago in your senior year.”

“We did. My dad came to both with Aly. I stayed in a hotel room with her both times,” Kurt explained. “I wouldn’t have gone if I had to leave her behind.”

Monday April 25, 2011

Spring break had passed much too quickly for Kurt, who had enjoyed spending an entire week with his daughter without having to worry about schoolwork. Of course, he still had his hours at his dad’s garage, but Burt had been kind enough to cut them back so Kurt could spend time with Aly. But now it was Monday; spring break was over. And with a month until nationals, that was all the New Directions could talk about.

“I’m so excited!” Rachel Berry squealed as they walked into the choir room. “I can’t believe we’re going to New York. What’s the first thing we’re going to do?”

“I don’t know. I’m not going,” Kurt said flatly. The entire group, Will Schuester included, turned to look at Kurt.

“What do you mean you’re not going?” Puck asked from the back row, raising an eyebrow.

“We’ll lose without you,” Tina Cohen-Chang said with a frown.

“No, you won’t. I’m sorry, guys, but I can’t go,” Kurt said as he took his seat next to Rachel on the front row. As far as he was concerned the conversation was over. He had made his decision, which he saw as his only option.

“Give me one good reason you can’t go with us,” Puck demanded stubbornly.

“Let’s see. She’s nine weeks old, blonde, blue eyes, weighs eleven pounds and happens to be my daughter,” Kurt answered with a roll of his eyes.

“Oh,” Puck said, pausing to think. “Well can’t your dad watch her?”

"I’m not going to leave my daughter to go to a different state when she’s only a few months old,” Kurt said, turning to look at Puck in disbelief.

“Kurt, has your dad mentioned if he is going to come see us perform?” Will asked helpfully.

“I don’t know. I didn’t bother asking since I’m not going,” Kurt admitted, turning back around to face Will.

“What if he comes to New York with Aly? You could stay in a room with her and your parents. It’s just a suggestion,” Will said.

“I don’t know,” Kurt said hesitantly. There were too many things that could go wrong. He didn’t want anything to happen to Aly. It was his job to protect her.

“Come on, dude. She’ll be what,” Finn paused to do the math.

“Thirteen weeks, Finn. She’ll be thirteen weeks old when we’re in New York,” Rachel finished for him in exasperation.

“Right. She’ll be older then,” Finn said.

Kurt shook his head. “She’ll be five weeks older, Finn.”

“Please, Kurt. Going to New York just won’t be the same without my best friend,” Mercedes Jones said from behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Kurt turned to look at her, sighing when he saw her disheartened expression. “I’ll talk to my dad. I’m not promising anything, but if he agrees to come too, and travel with a thirteen-week-old, then I will consider it.”

Blaine’s voice jarred Kurt from the memory. “Kurt, I’m not going to make you go. I completely understand that your daughter comes first and you’re afraid to leave her overnight. But there is going to come a time when she’ll want to sleep over at a friend’s house and you won’t be there.”

Kurt sighed unhappily. “Just let me think about it, please?”

“Of course. Take as much time as you need,” Blaine said. He brushed his lips against Kurt’s. “I need to get back to work. I’ll call you later tonight.”

“Okay,” Kurt replied. He watched Blaine leave with a frown.

“What’s wrong?” Puck asked reentering the room after Blaine had left the garage.

“Blaine won tickets to see Lady Gaga in Columbus on my birthday,” Kurt explained with a sigh. He flopped back into the chair behind his dad’s desk.

“So? Shouldn’t you be happy?” Puck asked, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I am happy, Puck,” Kurt said unconvincingly. “But what about Aly? I can’t just leave her.”

“Why not? Your dad can watch her,” Puck pointed out.

“I know he can, but it’s not his job to. She’s my daughter,” Kurt said sternly.

“You’ve never left her overnight, have you?” Puck asked incredulously.

“No, I haven’t. There’s never been a reason to. Not when Dad drove up to see us at nationals both times,” Kurt reminded him.

“Right. Well, now there is a reason to.” Kurt opened his mouth to protest but Puck stopped him. “You’re going to have to let go some time, Kurt. She won’t be three-years-old forever.”

Puck left the office without another word, knowing Kurt needed time to think. Sighing unhappily, Kurt sank down into his dad’s chair. Maybe Blaine and Puck were right. He knew Aly would want to have sleepovers like any normal child once she got older. Leaving her with his parents was much better than his daughter’s friend’s parents that he would barely know. But what if something happened?

Dad and Carole both raised sons. They know what to do if something happens, not that anything will, Kurt reminded himself. He sighed. The logical answer was to let his dad take Aly for the night. Blaine was just trying to do something special for his birthday. And it was Lady Gaga. Maybe a night free of responsibilities was a good idea. He was turning twenty-one after all. Though he still had his doubts, Kurt sent Blaine a quick text saying he’d talk to his dad. He couldn’t make any decisions until he had Aly taken care of. Then, and only then, would he accept Blaine’s gift.