I turned in my seat to see him looking devilishly handsome. One look is all it took for me to feel like all of the air was being sucked out of the room. I spied the large clock hanging on the far wall behind him. 12:35. He was 5 minutes late.

I smiled. “You should be.”

He offered me one of his own, no doubt the most apologetic in his entire collection.

“Believe me, I am. I was—I was really afraid that you'd leave.”

The carefree beam I was sporting became a playful smirk.

“Just be grateful that I still like you, mister.”

He grinned. “Is that so?”

Looking him over, I batted my eyes.

“Maybe. Who knows, if you play your cards right, I just might let you buy me lunch.”

Blaine leaned in close and I could feel myself tremble, hoping upon hope he didn't notice.

“I'll try to be on my very best behavior.”

In that moment, he was so close that I could have kissed him and god knows I wanted to, but I didn't know why. Maybe it was his scent that intoxicated me, the combination of aftershave, cologne, and pure Blaine. Maybe I'd had too much coffee. Whatever it was, it caused the butterflies in my stomach to take flight, filling me a particular kind of hope that I didn't know still existed.

He stood up straight and played with his hands.

“So…shall we go?”

I nodded and rose from my seat, pushing the chair back into its place and tossing my empty cup into the waste bin nearby.

“Do I get to know where it is that you're taking me?” I asked.

He smiled, replying softly.

“I had hoped it would be a surprise.”

A surprise? Interesting…

“Oh?”

He chuckled fondly.

 “Well, if my memory serves me right, you used to enjoy those.”

I was intrigued and somewhat in awe by his actions. I loved little surprises, no matter how prosaic or mundane they might seem to the average person. To me, little surprises said you cared and were something special…and…seeing as how Andy hadn't surprised me in a very long time, this was welcomed to say the least.

I smirked. “It's nice to see that your mind hasn't failed you in your old age.”

He laughed and shook his head, the slight wrinkles of his eyes and forehead crinkling as he did. He was no question that Blaine had aged well. We both had, but time had still managed to leave a few marks. 

“I try to remember what's important and let everything else just kind of fade away. I'm sure whatever's left is all—floating around in there somewhere.”

I know it's just an expression, but in that moment, I could have sworn that my heart stopped, jumped for joy, and skipped a beat.

As we neared the door, a crash of thunder echoed outside of the café, startling me and making me jump in my own skin. No sooner than I did, thunder rang out again and just as I had suspected, the rain immediately followed. It wasn't until I was aware of my actions that I realized Blaine's arm was around me, almost protectively.

I stared at the hand on my upper arm for a minute before turning to face him. He was looking out the window, but met my gaze no sooner than I budged. Quickly his arm dropped from around me and fell to his side.

“Sorry--Habitual tendencies.”

My eyes wandered over his face. He seemed nervous.

“Do you always put your arm around your ex-boyfriends?”  I asked.

He answered softly. “It's hard for old dog to learn new tricks.”

I smiled fondly, trying to keep my tone as lighthearted as possible.

“In that case, next time I'm hitting you with a rolled up newspaper.”

Instead of getting soaked, we opted for a cab. Ever the gentleman, Blaine offered to stand outside and hail one for us. Once dry and safe on the way to our destination, I found out that Blaine had planned to take me somewhere close until the weather decided otherwise. When I asked where, he refused to tell me, claiming he planned to use it to surprise me another day if he ever got the chance.

After that, the ride to the restaurant was surprisingly quiet. Occasionally, I'd risk a glance in his direction and take note of how he was tapping his fingers against high thigh, something he used to do when his nerves were getting the best of him.

What would have been a short walk turned into a 20 minute excursion due to the rain, but nevertheless, we arrived at our destination. As the cab came to a stop, Blaine turned to me and smiled.

“Ever been here before?”

Minetta Tavern.

I offered a small smile.  “Can't say that I have.”

He moaned. “Ah, you're gonna love it. The burgers here are to die for.”

Simultaneously we reached for our wallets, but before I could pull mine from my pocket, Blaine shook his head and handed the driver what appeared to be fare plus a rather generous tip.

“Don't be silly. It's on me. I asked you out.”

I fondly gazed at him for what was probably far too long and nodded.

“Thank you.”

With a coy grin tainting his countenance, he tipped his head.

“Thank you for saying yes.”

The rain has started to let up a bit so we were luckily able to enter the restaurant without looking like rats that had been exploring the New York City sewers.

Soon, we were seated and began to look over the menus.

Softly from the other side of the table, he spoke. “Get whatever you want. I mean it---and don't even bother trying to argue over the bill. It's on me.”

I smiled and quickly returned my eyes to the entrees.

Dear god, please don't let me get choked up. He'll ask why and I won't know what to tell him. I won't have an answer. Just breathe, Kurt.

It felt like a date, like old times when we'd go to Breadstix or the movies together. The thought alone made my heart ache. In the days of my youth, I had always pictured my life with him, moving to New York together, getting married and having children…it had always been Blaine. However, sadly, as it often tends to happen, life moved on without me. Things are how they should be. I have the two children I wanted, both beautiful and exactly like me in every way down to the freckles across the bridges of their noses. I have the husband I had always dreamed of having, but the dream changed…no Blaine, just Andy.

Sitting across from him, I couldn't help but wonder…had I made a mistake? I willed myself not to cry and hurriedly made a selection as our waiter approached the table.

God did it ever feel like a date and if I weren't married, I would have sworn that it was—

“Kurt?”

I looked up. The waiter was standing there, offering a small smile as Blaine did the same.

“Are you ready to order? Do you need a few minutes?”

I shook my head. “No, sorry. I…I couldn't make up my mind, but I think I finally know what I want.”

I knew what I wanted…and he was sitting right in front of me.