Chapter Three:  No Expectations

Friday May 16, 2014

Kurt had yet to speak to his father about watching Aly so he could go to Columbus with Blaine. For as long as Kurt could remember they had celebrated his birthday with a special family dinner followed by a viewing of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. As much as Kurt loved this tradition, he really wanted to go to the Lady Gaga concert with Blaine.

Not wanting to upset his father by asking to change tradition, Kurt had put off talking to him. He didn’t want to bring it up at the garage anyway. Now that it was Friday, Kurt knew he couldn’t put it off any longer. His dad could tell he was keeping something from him but he hadn’t pressed it yet. But Burt could only ignore it for so long. So Kurt had decided to talk to him at their weekly Friday night dinner.

“There’s my beautiful granddaughter!” Burt exclaimed when Kurt walked through the door with Aly on his hip.

“Gwamps!” Aly squealed, reaching out her little arms for her grandfather.

Burt took Aly from Kurt, smiling when she hugged him around the neck. He pressed a kiss to her blonde hair. “How’s my sweet girl?”

“Good,” Aly said, kicking her feet to be put down.

“Alexandra Elizabeth, no kicking! You know better,” Kurt scolded as he placed his messenger bag against the wall.

“Sowwy, Daddy,” Aly said with a frown.

“Don’t apologize to me. Tell Grandpa you’re sorry,” Kurt instructed as he toed off his favorite shoes, black Alexander McQueen for Puma Scythe sneakers he’d owned since he was sixteen.

“I’m sowwy, Gwamps,” Aly said, looking up at Burt.

“It’s all right, sweetie,” Burt said, kissing her cheek. “Why don’t you go play?”

Burt put her on the ground, smiling fondly when she ran off to play with the toys they kept in the house for her. Kurt followed his dad into the kitchen, where Carole was preparing dinner. The kitchen had always been one of Kurt’s favorite places in the Hudmel house. The walls were painted a light yellow. The cabinets were white with silver handles and the countertops were a light gray marble.

“There you are,” Carole said with a smile when she saw Kurt enter the room.

“Here I am.” Kurt walked to her side in front of the stove, kissing her cheek quickly. “It smells delicious.”

“Thank you.” Carole beamed. “You boys go watch TV while I finish up.”

“Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you both without Aly.” Kurt bit his lip nervously, turning to lean his back against the counter.

“What’s wrong?” Burt asked instantly.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Kurt answered quickly, looking his father in the eyes. “It’s about my birthday.”

“What about your birthday?” Burt asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

“I know we have the whole family tradition-”

“Which your mother started,” Burt interjected, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know, Dad. And I love that tradition.”

“But. . . .”

“But Blaine won tickets to see Lady Gaga in Columbus. The concert is the night of my birthday,” Kurt said quickly, knowing he wouldn’t get the words out any other way. He could tell his dad was not pleased with the prospect of breaking a tradition started by Kurt’s mother.

“And you want to go.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I do.” Kurt nodded, biting his lip.

Burt sighed unhappily, running a hand over his face. “You’re almost twenty-one, Kurt. I can’t stop you from going.”

“Actually you can. I need someone to watch Aly,” Kurt pointed out.

“You know we’ll be more than happy to take care of our granddaughter,” Carole told him, not looking up from the pot she was stirring.

“There’s just one thing,” Kurt paused, glancing at Carole. “I’d be staying in Columbus for the night.”

“With Blaine?” Burt questioned.

“Of course with Blaine,” Kurt said, a blush rising to his cheeks.

“Are you sleeping with this guy?” Burt asked bluntly.

“Burt!” Carole admonished, dropping the spoon on the countertop.

“What?”

"Dad, that’s really none of your business,” Kurt said, blushing furiously. He wrung his hands together, knowing where this conversation was going.

“You’ve only known this guy for a month, Kurt,” Burt reminded him.

“I’m well aware of how long I’ve known my boyfriend,” Kurt said angrily. “I know what I’m doing, Dad. I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were, son. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. And what about Aly?” Burt asked, nodding towards the living room where the toddler was playing quietly.

“Aly’s met Blaine twice, Dad. I was there both times and they had minimum interaction,” Kurt answered with a sigh. “Do you really think I would let her get close to him?”

“But you’re getting close to him,” Burt pressed.

“God, Dad, make me spell it out why don’t you! I’m not sleeping with Blaine or anyone else!” Kurt exclaimed angrily. He added as an afterthought, “And if it makes you feel even better, I’ve never slept with anyone except for Brittany!”

“Oh,” Burt said awkwardly. “Well, good.”

“So will you watch her? Please? It’s just for one night and then I’ll be home,” Kurt said with exasperation. This entire conversation was mortifying and had already lasted much longer than it should have.

“Of course we will, honey,” Carole answered. She leaned in closer to whisper, “Ignore your father. He means well.”

“I heard that,” Burt said with a grunt, moving to sit at the kitchen table.

Carole laughed. Kurt was glad she could see the humor in this situation. He had found the entire discussion mortifying. Thankfully, the awkwardness faded quickly. Dinner was excellent as always and Kurt enjoyed talking to his dad outside of the workplace. He was disappointed when he noticed it was already a quarter past six o’clock. Kurt thanked his parents for the meal before gathering Aly’s things and heading towards home. He gave Aly a quick bath before tucking her into bed.

"Which story do you want tonight, sweetie?” Kurt asked, settling down next to her in the toddler bed.

“Cindeweya,” Aly answered.

Kurt smiled. Aly crawled into his lap, resting her head against his chest. Kurt ran a hand through her blonde hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“How would you like to stay the night with Mimi and Gramps?” Kurt asked her carefully.

“When?” Aly asked excitedly, her head snapping up.

Kurt smiled as his daughter’s cerulean eyes lit up. “In a little over a week. Daddy’s going to Columbus with a friend.”

“Okay,” Aly said. “Will you tey me a towy now?”

Kurt laughed. “Yes, I will tell you the story of Cinderella now.”

Kurt made it halfway through the story before Aly fell asleep. He carefully lifted Aly off of his lap, laying her down on the mattress. He pulled the covers up over her, kissing her forehead before he plugged in her nightlight. Looking back one last time, Kurt turned off the overhead light and closed the room door behind him. Walking into his bedroom, he found the baby monitor and made sure it was working. He took the monitor with him into his bathroom, taking a quick shower while keeping an ear open for his daughter. Kurt had just stepped out of the shower when his cell phone rang. The screen lit up with Blaine’s name and he smiled.

“You have perfect timing,” he said as way of answering the call.

“Don’t I though?” Blaine said with a laugh. “But what are you specifically referring to this time?”

“I just stepped out of the shower,” Kurt said as he used one hand to towel dry his hair.

“Oh,” Blaine said awkwardly, trying not to visualize Kurt naked. He failed miserably. Clearing his throat, Blaine spoke again. His voice was slightly roughened but if Kurt noticed he didn’t say anything. “I know we both have to work tomorrow but I’m just around the corner. I was hoping I could stop by to talk for a minute.”

“Aly’s asleep,” Kurt said instantly. “How about we talk now?”

“I’d much rather we talk about this in person,” Blaine said vaguely.

“Oh God. You’re breaking up with me,” Kurt said before he could stop himself.

“What, no! No, no, no! It’s not that, not that at all,” Blaine said quickly. “It’s nothing bad I promise. Just please, can I come over?”

Relief washed over Kurt instantly. His grip on the phone loosened considerably as he answered. “Don’t ring the doorbell; it’ll wake Aly up. I’ll come down and let you in. Give me five minutes to get dressed.”

“Okay. I’ll text you when I get there,” Blaine said before hanging up the phone.

Kurt dressed quickly, but as impeccably as ever. He had just finished buttoning his shirt when his phone chimed with a text message from Blaine. Kurt checked in on Aly. Satisfied that she was sleeping peacefully, he hurried out of the apartment and down the stairs to let Blaine in.

“Hey,” Kurt said brightly. He pulled Blaine into the hallway, not stopping to pause before he hurried back up the stairs. Blaine followed him without question. Once they were in the apartment, Kurt turned to face him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave Aly alone for long.”

“It’s okay, I understand. Come here.” Blaine pulled Kurt towards him. Their lips brushed together in a slow, sensuous kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Kurt’s face was flushed.

“Do you want to sit down?” Kurt asked breathlessly.

“Sure but just for a second. We both have work in the morning,” Blaine said as he followed Kurt into the living room. They sat on the couch, facing each other.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Kurt asked curiously.

“Have you asked your dad if he can watch Aly for your birthday?” Blaine asked.

“I did tonight. He said yes,” Kurt said with a smile.

“That’s great. I was going to book the hotel tomorrow but I wanted to make sure we were going. Which brings us to what I wanted to talk to you about.” Blaine paused, collecting his thoughts. “We haven’t been together for very long, and I want you to know I’m not expecting anything. But the hotel is going to ask and I don’t want to make any assumptions.”

“Will you just ask me already?” Kurt asked with a grin.

“Fine, all right.” Blaine nodded. “Should I book a double or a single?”

“Oh.” Kurt had not been expecting this.

“I wouldn’t even be asking but the hotel is going to and I want you to be comfortable. Again, I don’t expect anything, Kurt,” Blaine said quickly.

“No, it’s fine. I just hadn’t thought about that,” Kurt said slowly.

“I’m fine either way, Kurt. I don’t-”

“Expect anything, yeah I know. Look, there’s something I need to tell you.” Kurt pulled his lip between his teeth.

“You know you can tell me anything,” Blaine said when Kurt didn’t continue, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

“I know,” Kurt said. He sighed, heavily. “You know you’re my first boyfriend.”

Blaine nodded, encouraging Kurt to continue.

“It’s just . . . I’ve never done any of this before. Any of it,” Kurt placed emphasis on the first word, hoping Blaine would understand what he was saying.

“You mean you’re a virgin,” Blaine said as realization hit him.

Kurt chuckled.

“Not exactly,” Kurt answered. He elaborated when Blaine’s expression remained blank. “I do have a three-year-old daughter.”

“Oh, right,” Blaine said.

“But other than that one time with Brittany. . . . I mean that was it. One time was enough, at least with a girl. I spent the entire time trying not to look at her while she did all the work. And as far as guys go, I was the only out gay kid in Lima. After Aly was born I had little time to spend with anyone else. And honestly I didn’t want to. I was happy to spend all my time with her. This is all just very new to me.”

Blaine nodded, thinking before he spoke. “I’m not going to lie. I’m not a virgin. I’ve made mistakes in my life before. I lost my virginity in high school to a guy I thought loved me. He cheated on me three weeks later. My only other sexual experience was in college. A guy I really liked led me on. I thought he was actually interested in me. We had sex once. Not long after, my grandmother died and while I was grieving he was still trying to get into my pants. Needless to say I never spoke to him again. After that happened, I was even more determined to finish college in three years instead of four.

“So see, I don’t have much more experience than you do. I stopped dating until I met you. I knew you were different. Honest, caring.”

“I’m sorry you went through that,” Kurt said softly.

“I’m not. It hurt, yes, but those experiences helped me to learn. They made me who I am today. After that happened, I knew I didn’t want some casual relationship. I want someone I can settle down with, have a family with. I know I’m only twenty-two but I’ve never been like other guys my age. I’ve never been normal, whatever that is,” Blaine said seriously.

“Normal is a relative term,” Kurt said wisely.

“That it is,” Blaine agreed. He took Kurt’s hand in his, rubbing the smooth skin of the back of his hand with his thumb.

“You should book a single,” Kurt said suddenly.

“What?” Blaine asked, looking up in surprise.

“You should book a single,” Kurt repeated patiently. “I’m not saying anything is going to happen. I can almost guarantee that it won’t. I’m not ready for that . . . yet. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not ready to experience other firsts with you.” Kurt laughed dryly. “You know I’ve never shared a bed with someone that wasn’t my parent or my daughter?”

Blaine smiled weakly. “Okay. If that’s what you want, and you’re one hundred percent sure.”

“I am,” Kurt assured him.

Blaine squeezed his hand before he stood up. “I should get going then. I have a hotel to book and work in the morning.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Kurt said as he followed him to the door.

“It’s okay. Stay here with Aly,” Blaine said. He leaned up to press his lips against Kurt’s.

“Bye,” Kurt said reluctantly when Blaine pulled away.

“Bye. I’ll text you when I get home.” And with that, Blaine was gone.

KAB

Tuesday May 27, 2014

Since he was seventeen-years-old, Kurt knew he would not have a normal twenty-first birthday, but it was turning out to be much more than he had originally anticipated. His dad had given him the day off from work. With Aly at preschool, Kurt had hardly known what to do with himself. He spent the majority of the day reading, waiting until it was two o’clock. Normally Aly stayed at the afterschool program until Kurt got off work and could pick her up, but today he wanted to spend some time with her before he took her to his dad’s house.

At half past three, Kurt dropped Aly off with his father. After a tearful goodbye, he drove back home alone. By four o’clock, Kurt was in Blaine’s car and they were headed out of Lima. The drive to Columbus wasn’t too long. They passed the two hours talking and singing along loudly to Lady Gaga.

After a month of dating, Kurt knew plenty about Blaine’s interests, likes and dislikes, but not much about his family. He was surprised when Blaine brought up the subject. Kurt knew Blaine’s dad was unsupportive, while his mother was very understanding. He was surprised to learn that Blaine had spent a lot of time with his grandmother growing up, as his parents were often away on business. Blaine was very close to his grandmother, who left him a trust fund when she died while he was in college. This was the money he had used to open his restaurant. He also had an older brother, Cooper, who Blaine was fairly close to but never got to see him.

Kurt felt that there wasn’t much about him that Blaine didn’t already know, seeing as how Aly was his entire life. But once Blaine brought up glee club, Kurt found he couldn’t stop talking. Glee club had been the best part of high school. While his peers had been less than receptive to the news that he was a teenage father, the glee club had supported him through everything. When Aly got sick and Kurt refused to attend school, they took turns bringing him his homework. When Kurt had been unable to pay for field trips, the glee club stepped up to help him out. They really were his family and they cared about Aly more than Kurt ever imagined they would.

Between the talking and singing, the two-hour drive passed quickly. They checked into their hotel and headed to dinner before the concert started at seven o’clock. And before Kurt knew it he was sitting in his seat, staring up at the stage. The concert seemed to be over in a matter of minutes, even though Kurt realized it had lasted a couple hours. Unfortunately, it ended all too soon and it was time to head back to the hotel. They discussed the concert with enthusiasm during the short drive. Kurt was so busy talking he had forgotten to be nervous about the sleeping arrangements.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asked when he saw Kurt frozen in the room, staring at the queen-size bed.

Kurt shook himself out of his thoughts. “Sorry, I’m fine.”

“Don’t be nervous,” Blaine said soothingly. He put their suitcases down before turning back to Kurt and taking his hands in his. “It’s just me. Remember, there are no expectations. It’s just us.”

Kurt smiled. “Just us.”

“Do you want to shower first?” Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded. He got the necessities from his suitcase before disappearing into the bathroom. He turned the hot water on, drawing in a shuddering breath. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. There was no reason to be. He knew nothing would happen tonight. He wasn’t ready for anything sexual yet, and Blaine understood that. Stripping off his clothes, Kurt stepped into the shower, wishing his worries would flow down the drain with the water. But they didn’t. Kurt dried himself off and slipped into his pajamas, hesitating only a second before he exited the bathroom. Blaine was sitting on the bed, engrossed in a large novel.

“All done?” Blaine asked with a smile when he heard Kurt enter the room.

“Yes,” Kurt said with a nod. “It’s your turn.”

“I’ll be right back.” Blaine pressed a quick kiss to his lips before sliding past him into the bathroom.

Blaine didn’t take nearly as much time as Kurt in the bathroom. Kurt had picked up the book Blaine had been reading, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and was reading the first chapter when he reentered the room.

“How many times have you read it?” Blaine asked.

Kurt jumped; he hadn’t heard Blaine come in. “Too many to count.”

“I read the entire series about once a year,” Blaine admitted as Kurt laid the book to the side.

Kurt smiled, but only for a second. As Blaine pulled the covers back, Kurt felt his nervousness return. It must have shown on his face because Blaine froze.

“If you’re not okay with this, if you changed your mind I can take the floor,” Blaine offered.

“No!” Kurt exclaimed quickly. He took a deep breath and repeated it more calmly. “No, it’s fine. I’ve just never done this before.”

“I know. But there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just me. Just us,” Blaine repeated his words from earlier. He kissed Kurt quickly before instructing him, “Lay down with your back to me.”

Kurt’s breath quickened but he listened, laying down on his side facing the window. Blaine slipped between the sheets, spooning up behind Kurt. He held him close, bringing his hand up to lace his fingers with Kurt’s over his heart. Kurt found himself relaxing into Blaine’s hold.

Smiling, he said, “This is nice.”

Blaine chuckled, pressing a kiss to the back of Kurt’s neck. “See, nothing to be nervous about.”

Kurt hummed in contentment, snuggling back against Blaine before he fell into a deep sleep. Blaine followed soon after, dreaming about the man sleeping in his arms.

KAB

Wednesday May 28, 2014

Kurt was frantic the next morning when Blaine woke. He was tearing his suitcase apart, searching for something. Confused, Blaine sat up in bed.

“Wassgoingon?” he asked groggily, blinking his bleary eyes at his boyfriend.

“I can’t find my phone. Have you seen my phone?” Kurt asked, his voice rising in panic.

Blaine pushed the covers back. He gently took Kurt by the shoulders and walked him back to the bed.

“Blaine, what’re you doing? I need to find my phone,” Kurt said, trying to push Blaine away.

“Kurt, calm down. What’s the matter?” Blaine asked, sitting next to Kurt on the bed.

“I can’t find my phone and I need to call my dad. He hasn’t called me. What if something happened to Aly? What if she’s hurt or she had a nightmare and wanted me?” Kurt asked quickly, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Hey, don’t cry. I’m sure everything is all right. Your dad didn’t call you because everything is perfectly fine. He probably didn’t want to bother you while you’re away. Just relax. We’ll find your phone and you can call and talk to Aly,” Blaine said. He rubbed Kurt’s back soothingly. He knew this was the first time Kurt had spent the night away from Aly and that was sure to bring a lot of anxiety.

“I looked everywhere. I can’t find it,” Kurt said weakly.

“Did you check in the bathroom?” Blaine asked.

Kurt sprinted across the room, yelling out “I found it!” as he walked out of the bathroom. He was already dialing a number and lifting the phone to his ear.

“Dad! Is Aly there? Can I talk to her?” Kurt relaxed instantly when he heard Aly’s voice on the other line, his cerulean eyes lighting up with happiness.

“Daddy?”

“Hi, princess. Are you having fun with Gramps and Mimi?” Kurt asked.

“Yep! Mimi made pancakes,” Aly answered, her voice filled with joy.

“I bet they were really yummy,” Kurt said with a smile.

“Tey wewe. I miss you,” Aly said.

“I miss you too, sweetie. Daddy will be home this afternoon. I’ll come pick you up from preschool. Would you like that?” Kurt asked as he sank down onto the bed next to Blaine.

“Ten we’w pway?” Aly asked.

“Yes, then we will play. I love you. Can you give the phone back to Gramps?”

“I wuv you too,” Aly answered before passing the phone back to her grandfather.

Kurt talked to his father for a few more minutes before he hung up. He turned back to Blaine, a slow blush rising on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’d be more worried if you weren’t thinking about her,” Blaine answered. He kissed Kurt chastely. “Now come back to bed. It’s seven o’clock and neither of us have to work today. That means we get to sleep in.”

Kurt laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I slept in.”

“Well now you will. Come on.” Blaine opened his arms, smiling when Kurt moved into them.

Kurt laid his head on Blaine’s chest, pressing a kiss to his collarbone before he spoke. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything.”

Blaine laughed. “You’re welcome. I wanted your birthday to be special.”

“It was,” Kurt assured him.

Blaine smiled as Kurt drifted off to sleep in his arms. Maybe their relationship would be easier if Kurt didn’t have a daughter, but Blaine wouldn’t change anything for all the money in world.