As I sat at the island admiring my card, I heard the stomp of feet coming down the stairs, Devon most likely coming down in a rush. I quickly put the card back into its envelope and tucked it into my pocket.

“Devon Burt, what have I said about running up and down the stairs?” I asked, admonishing him in as loving, yet firm of a way as possible.

“Not to do it…”, he replied softly as he walked around the corner and into the kitchen.

“Uh huh…and you ran down the stairs why? Were your feet on fire? Because if they were, increasing air speed velocity will only increase the burn rate….”

“No, they weren't on fire…I heard the doorbell. Is someone here---WOW that's a lot of flowers. Did Pop send these?”

I shook my head. “No, a friend of mine sent them to me.”

He looked them over, silently counting all of them as he carefully leaned over to sniff the delightful fragrance gently wafting from the arrangement.

“Must be some friend,” he said quietly. “Did they think it was your birthday or something?”

“Nope…it was just a “brighten your day” kind of thing, I guess.”

“Oh,” he said, quirking his mouth up a bit as he furrowed his brow. “So…is this why someone rang the doorbell?”

“Not exactly.”

“There was another reason?” he asked.

I smiled and nodded. “You got a package of sorts.”

He grinned and came closer. “A package? What kind of package?”

I moved from my seat and pointed towards the coffee table in the living room.

“That's it right there. Take a look for yourself.”

I watched his eye grow wide, just the one as the other was slightly swollen. “That's all for me?” he asked as he walked towards the large basket sitting on the table.

“That's all for you.”

He sat on the couch, still in awe as his hands began to touch the contents that the gift held within, and I sat down beside him. “Queen Elizabeth!” he exclaimed as his hands wrapped around one of the books inside. “And a puzzle of London! And…JAMES BOND! Dad! Look at all of these books! This---this is too cool! Thank you so much!”

His body rushed towards mine as he pulled me into a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

I chuckled softly. “Y-you're welcome…but I'm sorry to say none of it's from me.”

He pulled back and looked at me. “If---if it isn't from you, who's it from?”

I sat quietly and stared back at my son. What was I supposed to say? Who's it from? Oh, that's from Daddy's lover, Dev. I couldn't lie to him. Lying to Andy was a task that came all too easily, but I refused to lie to my children.

I took a deep breath, unsure of how things would turn out once the words left my mouth.

“Do you remember when I was on the phone earlier? In the cab?”

Devon said nothing, only nodding to let me know he'd heard me.

“The friend I was talking to earlier…it's all from that person.”

“This is from your friend?” he asked, sounding a little puzzled.

“Yes…h—he heard about what happened today and wanted to try to help you feel better.”

He started to speak, but hesitated. “But---why?”

I shrugged my shoulders because I honestly didn't know why. “That's just who he is, Devon. He's always been generous. He goes out of his way to help others and puts everyone before himself. He's been that way since the day I met him.”

Suddenly, I felt like the child instead of the parent and sat with a sick feeling in my stomach, wondering if I'd be chided by my own progeny for talking to a man who was anyone other than his other father.

He turned back to the basket, his fingers playing with the edges of the books and the boxes. “Cookies? And…and cake pops?”

I smiled, even though I wasn't sure if it was allowed.

“He's always thought that a little sugar was a good way to make someone smile.”

What he uttered next broke my heart and although he whispered it at a volume that made it almost inaudible, it still rang loudly in my ears.

“Pop never does anything like this…”

Instinctively, I pulled him to me and held him close, kissing the top of his head.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

‘Daddy' wasn't a word that Devon used much, not since he decided he was a “big boy”. After a certain point in his life, I became Dad and Andy's ‘Papa' turned into ‘Pop'. Nowadays, he only called me Daddy when he was really upset. I could feel how much he was hurting and it made my own heart ache.

I knew that Andy had never been quite involved in any activities regarding the kids, but I had always tried to make it seem like he was a constant presence in their lives. I signed all the birthday cards and purchased all of the gifts and even though Andy was present for all of the parties I had planned, it was perpetually evident that he was emotionally disconnected. The only difference is that I never knew the kids realized it too. I should have known. As bright as they are both separately and together, as intuitive and clever, my children…of course they would have known. Shame on me for doubting them and embarrassing myself with the whimsical thought that they might ignore it just as much as I tried to make Andy seem like the loving father I had continuously hoped for him to be.

I heard Devon sniffle and before I knew it, I was sniffling too. He turned and wrapped his arms around my neck, the damp heat of small tears peppering my skin.

“I'm so sorry, Devon…I love you so much, my sweet baby boy.”

“I love you too, Daddy….I love you, too.”

After a few minutes, he pulled back and his eyes met mine, his cheeks stained from his tears. “Can I make your friend a ‘thank you' card? Will you help me?”

I smiled a watery smile and gently ran my thumbs over his cheeks before kissing his forehead. “Would you like to call him instead?”

He nodded and hugged me again. “I'd like that very much.”

I hugged him back and he moved to curl up next to my side. I pulled my phone from my pocket, unlocked it, and moved to my recent calls. Selecting ‘B', I hit “call” and patiently waited for him to pick up as it rang.

A couple of rings later, he finally answered.

“Hey you…” he said tenderly. “Did you get my deliveries?”

 I turned to Devon who was patiently waiting his turn to speak.

“I did…Devon and I both did. They're beautiful…and the basket…Bl—wow. You—you easily made both of our days and I just---I can't thank you enough. And…neither can someone else.”

“I'm glad you both like what I sent over. Someone else?”

I swallowed hard and took in what had to be a record-breaking amount of air when it came to deep breathing. Here it was…moment of truth.

“Devon knows you sent the basket.”

“And the flowers…” quietly uttered the child by my side.

“And apparently now the flowers as well.”

Blaine was silent, so much that I could have heard a pin drop on his end.

“W-was it a mistake for me to---“

“No! Not at all!” I quickly spat out reassuringly.

“I…I'm not so sure that I'm following…Kurt.”

“Someone wants to talk to you and I think he can explain things better than I can.”

Suddenly, his nerves made an appearance. “Kurt—what do you mean ‘he'? Who's? Kurt?”

“Hang on.”

Unintentionally, I had sent the man into a panic. Blaine Devon Anderson…did you really think I'd be brass enough to pass the phone to my husband?

I passed the phone to Devon and smiled. “Here honey…”

He took the phone from me and pressed it to his ear.

“Kurt? Are you there?”

From what I could hear, Blaine's tone had calmed, but not much.

“This isn't Kurt. This is Devon.”

“H-hi Devon.”

He covered the phone and looked up at me. “Who is this?”

Softly from the other end of the line came, “I'm Blaine.”

Devon laughed softly. “Mr. Blaine?”

Blaine laughed as well. “Some people call me that.”

“Are you the Mr. Blaine that Lila talks about?”

“Lila talks about me?”

Devon looked up at me and kept talking.

“I think she's talking about you, but until you said your name was ‘Blaine', I just thought she had an imaginary friend. But you're real…”

“As far as I know, I am. Although, I applied to be an imaginary friend once, but they rejected my application as soon as they figured out I couldn't walk through walls.”

Devon chuckled. “I can see why Dad likes you. You're funny. Can I use that joke?”

“I guess,” Blaine replied playfully. “I'll have to charge you next time, but I guess just this once you can have that one for free.”

And just like that my child was smiling…something that rarely happened with Andy came so naturally with Blaine.

“Thank you…for…everything! It's amazing! How did you know everything that I liked?”

“Ah, that's one secret I cannot tell.”

“But---you knew about her Majesty…most people make fun of me for liking royalty and history, but you bought me books…and I love books!”

“Well, I do too. In fact, that's what I do for a living.”

“You read books?” he asked, his smile growing wider.

“Sort of. I work in publishing so I get to see all of the good books before they go out to bookstores around the world. Sometimes I even choose which ones get printed.”

“UGH! I'm so jealous! You are the luckiest guy in the world!”

Blaine chuckled. “Hardly…but you know, since you like to read, I could send you some more books…would you like that?”

By this time, Devon was practically beaming. “Oh, would you? Would you please?”

“As long as your dad doesn't have a problem with it.”

“I'm sure it will be okay.”

I interjected, wondering what in the world these two were up to. “What will be okay?”

“Blaine wants to give me books.”

“Mr. Blaine wants to give you books?”

“Mr. Blaine…wants to give me books, yes…so…can he?” Devon turned to me and gave me his best smile. “Please Daddy?”

“Let me have the phone for a second.”

He handed the phone to me and I pressed it to my ear. “Stop trying to corrupt my child with literature. How dare you? Sick people like you are the reason so many children read.” I grinned, loving to tease him when I could.

He let out a hearty laugh. “Oh yeah, I'm a real sick bastard. Scum of the earth.”

“Yep, that's you. Big Bad Book Peddlin' Blaine”

“I'll have you know that's what they call me on the streets, thank you very much.”

I chuckled. “You're too much...”

“So…would it be okay if I sent him books?”

“I'd love nothing more.”

Devon poked at my side. “Can he? Can he? Can he?”

I nodded and smiled. “Yes, Devon, he can bring you books.”

He leaned over and hovered close to the mouthpiece. “Thank you, Mr. Blaine!”

Devon got up and began to move from the couch. “He's so awesome!” He pointed to the basket. “Can I take this upstairs?”

I turned the phone away from my mouth. “I'll bring it up in a few minutes. Let's not take any chances of you potentially getting injured a second time.”

 “Okay,” he replied and up the stairs he went with a genuinely blissful look on his face.

I snuggled into the couch, wishing the crook and the cushions were Blaine's arms.

“You have no idea how happy you've just made me,” I cooed softly into the phone.

“And why is that?”, he answered softly.

“Because I haven't seen my son smile the way he did just now in a very long time. He's normally happy and I do what I can to make sure he and Lila both stay that way, but his face lit up Blaine…because someone other than me actually seemed to care.”

“Kurt…I---“

“Thank you.”

“For what, sweetheart?”

“For loving me…and for being kind to my children.”

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“You know what I mean…and I love you so much for that.”

Blaine sighed into the phone, most likely contently. “I love you too…so very much.”

As much as I wanted to stay on the phone with him, I knew that sooner or later my children would be hungry for dinner and my husband would come walking through the door. “I should probably get off of here.”

“Yeah?”

“I don't want to, but I need to. Can I call you later if I have time?”

“Of course.”

I smiled, my heart melting just a little bit more. “I love you.”

He chuckled tenderly. “I love you too.”

I hung up the phone and slowly rose from the sofa, taking everything in. Lila knew--now Devon---and while they didn't know everything about Blaine and me or the history that we shared, from what I could gather, both of them took to him instantly. Picking up the basket to take to Devon's room, I toyed with the idea of the four of us sharing a night together…as a family, but knew that it could never be. Not with the four of us and not with things being how they were. Not with Andy… I knocked gently and opened once I got the okay to come in. I sat the basket on his desk and looked around Devon's room.

“Thanks Dad.”

He was sitting on his bed, already nose deep in one of his new books from Blaine. As I stood there taking in the maps on the walls and the little personal touches from my son, I felt like I could cry. I genuinely lucked out. I not only had one wonderful child whom I was unbelievably proud of; I had two. I walked over to him, mussed his hair, and pecked his forehead before leaving his room, closing the door behind me.

Down the hall, I could hear Lila jabbering on in French as she played hostess.

“Voulez-vous du thé un peu plus, Monsieur Le Pooh? Permettez-moi de remplir votre tasse pour vous. Voulez-vous un peu de miel pour le thé, Monsieur Le Pooh? Très bon! Je vais avoir un aussi!”

This is what I wanted. This is the family I had dreamed about my whole life. However, in all my wildest dreams, never did I imagine I'd feel like a single father with a wedding band on my finger.

Lightly, I rapped on the frame of Lila's door.

She looked up her from tea set and smiled. “Oui? Oh! Bonjour Papa! Viens! Viens! Prendre le thé avec moi!”

I grinned. “Jaimerais quelques-uns. Cependant, je me demandais si vous voulez descendre et être chef Lila pendant un certain temps. Voulez-vous maider à préparer le dîner?”

She clapped her hands together. “Oui sil vous plaît!”

Daintily pushing out her chair, she then rushed over to me and wrapped her arms around me tightly. I laughed tenderly before plucking her up into my arms and setting her on my hip. “Shall we go?”

“Yes! I'm ready to be your special helper.” She hugged me and placed a tiny kiss on my cheek. “What are we having?”

“I was thinking we could have fish tacos with blackened salmon. How does that sound?”

She clung to me as I trotted carefully down the stairs. “Will you make guacamole and your pico de yoyo?”

I chuckled. “Pico de gallo?”

“Yeah that. Will you make guacamole and that?”

“I will,” I said once we reached the bottom, kissing her cheek.

“Then yes. Let's make that!”

She squirmed out of my arms and ran to the refrigerator to help me start getting out ingredients to prep for our meal. An hour later, we were ready to eat and Andy was still nowhere to be found. After dinner, I tidied up the kitchen and spent a little quality time with my kids.

It wasn't until after Lila's bath that Andy came through the front door. When we came downstairs, he smiled at us both. Lila returned one politely and plopped down on the couch, spotting the box of chocolate covered strawberries that I had forgot to move earlier.

“Ooh! Fraises au chocolat! Can I have one, Daddy?”

Andy walked over and kissed me on the cheek. “What's for dinner?”

Lila toyed with the ribbon on the box as I stared down my husband. “Leftovers.”

“Leftovers? Okay…are you pissed or something?”

“Pop-pop, that's a bad word.”

He rolled his eyes and looked at me. “Sorry, Lila…so…are you mad or something?”

I shook my head nonchalantly. “Nope…not mad in the slightest…however, you'll have leftovers because dinner was a couple hours ago and you weren't here to eat it. You can eat what's left of the guacamole and whatever else you find in there.”

“Kurt, I'm sorry…I was at the game and then me and the guys went out for a couple of beers.”

“Yes, I know. I can smell. You could have called. Texted. Something.”

“I left a note.”

“A note doesn't say, “I'll be late for dinner”…does it?”

“Are we really going to fight in front of Lila, Kurt?”

The small child on the couch in the room slinked down into the floor, trying to make herself unseen as she removed the lid.

“One strawberry, Lila.”

I heard a small sigh from the side where she was sitting. “Okay.”

“And we're not fighting…we're talking…”

He walked past me into the kitchen and I followed behind. As he stepped towards the refrigerator, he stopped dead in his tracks to gaze at the floral arrangement.

“You got a boyfriend I don't know about?” he teased as he tipped his head in the direction of the flowers.

I heard myself lie…again. “No, I ordered those for myself because I felt like I deserved them. That, and it's nice to have flowers in the house.”

“Could've opted for something a little less grandiose.”

“That's what I wanted so that's what I bought.”

“Fair enough…”

Andy pulled the container guacamole from the top shelf and opened the bag of chips I had left out on the counter. I watched him eat, chip after chip, double dipping each one.

“I think I'm going to take a walk.”

He looked up at me, mouth hanging open with half masticated avocado staring right back at me.

“At this time of night?”

“It's not that late…and I could use some fresh air. Now that you're home, I can have a little time to myself.” Before he could respond, I moved into the foyer to grab my coat from the closet in the entryway. “I'll be back in a bit.”

Wasting no time, I threw on my jacket, grabbed my keys, and headed out the door. It wasn't until I was out of sight of our house that I felt for my phone in my pocket. Pulling it out, I dialed Blaine's number for a second time.

He answered on the second ring. “Hey…I wasn't expecting to hear from you again tonight.”

“I told you I'd call.”

“I know, but I know you're busy with the kids…”

“Yeah…I was earlier, but I'm free now…so…listen, I'm out right now…by myself. Would you---want to meet me somewhere? Maybe our Starbucks or…if it would be more convenient, we could meet somewhere closer to you.”

“Wh—no. Our Starbucks is fine. Give me 15-20 minutes and I'll meet you there?”

“I'll see you then.”

I hung up and slowed my pace, hoping to kill a little time before we both arrived. However, as anxious as I was, I couldn't seem to walk slowly enough and ended up arriving in the same amount of time. I was early…again…but the place was relatively empty with the exception of two or three people sporadically dotting the tables. Stepping up to the counter, I ordered my usual and something for Blaine as well, a medium drip extra hot so it would at least be warm when he arrived.

After I paid, I stood and waited for our drinks for what seemed like an eternity and kept checking over my shoulder; so much, in fact, that I'm guessing the night baristas were beginning to think I was on the lamb.

No more than 5 minutes after I getting the beverages, Blaine walked in. He, too, took a look around the place, which was, for the most part, still empty. Only a handful others had seemed to stream in during my wait. Once he made it over to the table, his face suggested that he was more at ease and he leaned down to capture my lips in a soft kiss.

“I'm so glad you called,” he said as he sat down beside me.

I slid the cup toward him and he graciously took it with a cold hand. The night air had become chilly on his way over.

“It may be too hot to drink. I asked them to crank up the heat since I thought you'd still be a on your way.”

He smiled. “Well, in that case…” He reached over the table, picked up my cup, and took a gratuitous sip of the warm mocha liquid. “Oh my god, that's good.”

I grinned. “Help yourself.”

He waggled his eyebrows at me before taking another sip and setting the cup down. “Don't mind if I do.” He leaned over a second time and kissed me once more, his lips tasting even better than they had before.

Carefully, he took his hand in mine and gazed at me lovingly. “How much time do we have?”

I sighed and looked at my phone, tapping the screen to see the time. “Maybe 20 minutes? A half hour at most.”

He nodded, understanding, yet grateful.

His eyes roamed my face before he moved in close. “I love you…”

Air sharply filled my chest as my lips gently quirked into a smile. “I love you too.”

We had gone 18 years without saying those words, but it felt just like the first time. Just us two having coffee like we had all those years ago, the words flowing past our lips just as easily…uncomplicated and so very sure.

My hand moved to cradle his cheek. “I want you…”

He closed his eyes and let out a barely audible moan, his chest rising as he took in a breath. Slowly, they opened. “You have me,” he said as he turned his head slightly, kissing my thumb as he did.

“Now…I want you now.”

His eyes grew wide. “Now?”

“Now.”

“But---Kurt---we don't---my place is---how?”

I moved in and kissed him tenderly on the lips, whispering softly after I did,

“I have an idea.”

I moved to the side of his head and allowed my teeth to gently nip at the lobe of his ear. “Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes.”

I pulled back and began to get up from my chair. As I did, his hand caught my wrist and he stared back at me in disbelief.

“Kurt---we—we can't.”

I smirked. “Five minutes, Mr. Anderson,” I said wiggling five fingers at him as I did.

As I turned and left the table, I tried to walk to the bathroom as casually as possible and prayed to whatever god happened to be listening that none of the baristas grew wise to what was going on. Surely we weren't the only ones who had attempted to get down and dirty in their facilities…No. On second thought, I don't want to think about any other random acts that have might happened any more than I want to do what I'm about to do in a public restroom.

For five minutes, I waited, tense beyond belief and completely anxious. What if he left? What if I'm just in here by myself holding up the bathroom because I was an absolute idiot for thinking Blaine would find this to be hot and—

Just as my conscious was beginning to ring my mind's alarm, the handle dipped down and the door slowly began to open. For a split second, I was terrified that it was another patron, but thank god it was him. He closed the door carefully behind him, making sure to slide the lock into position as he did. We stood in silence staring at each other, Blaine curious of my next move as I, too, pondered my own.

 I stepped in closer, my eyes raking over his chest. My hand found his tie and stroked down the material before my fingers slid underneath and grasped it with a firm hold. I tugged him mercilessly towards me and kissed him, hot, deep, and dirty. His hands tried to gain purchase on my arms, but my needs declared dominance and I shoved him against the wall. My teeth grazed over his bottom lip and he whined against my mouth. My hands ran down the length of his body as I sank to my knees, his eyes never leaving mine as I reached the floor. Gently, I nuzzled against his cock, which was beginning to stir beneath the denim fabric of his jeans. As his hands met my shoulders, mine became better acquainted with a button and zipper. For such a filthy act, they both came undone with a fair amount of ease, something I imagined Blaine would be doing equally as quickly. I kissed the soft fabric of his black boxer briefs and licked a stripe over the head.

He moaned softly. “K---Kurt.”

My hand closed around him as I began massaging him in his underwear, my hand moving lower to gently squeeze his balls. He panted softly above me, his lips glistening from where his tongue had wet them. I desperately wanted to tease him, to drag it out and lead him on until I could leave him wanting more, but there was no time. I slid my fingers under the waistbands of both his jeans and underwear and with one swift motion, tugged both of them half-way down his thighs. His cock was already painfully hard and leaking at the tip, most definitely piqued with interest. I wrapped my hand around his length, licking and kissing my way up his shaft to the tip, and without warning, began to sink my mouth down around him. He whined loudly, his fingers lighting beginning to clutch at my shoulders, and as I began to suck, I couldn't help but wonder the last time he had a mouth wrapped around him like this.

We were rushed. We had already been in the restroom far too long for one person, let alone two. There was no time for finesse or teasing. I had to get him off. I needed it. The only thing my mouth craved more than the mocha we had just shared was his come. I sank my mouth further down and he sharply took in a breath, his hand ghosting up my neck and around to the back of my head. I relaxed my throat and began to hum around him as I took him deeper into my mouth.

His hips lifted off the wall, sending his cock further into my throat, but I wasn't prepared. I lightly ran my hand over his thigh and he waited to let me get adjusted to the feeling. Once I had, I moaned softly around him, causing him to wrap his fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck and his hips began to move once more.

I had forgotten how good Blaine tasted, the weight of him on my tongue. He was bigger than Andy and even though we used to be frequently intimate, I had never completely gotten used to it.

He began to grunt above me. It was painfully obvious that he was trying to remain quiet, but he still had to let something out. I teased him with my tongue the best I could and started sucking harder. The more I sucked, the faster Blaine began to thrust, building up a relentless pace as he fucked my mouth. He was tensing up, getting close to his climax. My hands moved from his waist to his ass, each one kneading his cheeks as I willed him to come. More and more he pumped his hips, sending his cock deeper and deeper into my throat. Saliva was beginning to run down my chin and I made haste in wiping it up, trying to coat my finger as liberally as possible. With that same hand, I snaked back around to his ass and ran my fingers between his cheeks, lightly grazing over his hole. He moaned, louder than he should have, and held my head in place. I ran my finger over it once more and dipped the tip of my finger inside. His hips began to move erratically and I knew he was almost there. I carried on, taking everything he'd give me as I inched my finger inside him to the knuckle. He tugged on my hair and gave my mouth two more thrusts before I could feel his body trembling, before it hit him. I groaned as I felt his come hitting the back of my throat, never ceasing from sucking him as he rode out his orgasm.

His fingers loosened their grip as his body slowly began to slump against mine, his hand sliding from the back of my head to my shoulder as he sought stability.

“God, Kurt…” his voice was rough as he said my name and chills ran down my spine. As I carefully released him from my mouth, I placed a small kiss to the tip before pulling up his pants and lovingly tucking him back into his underwear. Once I had zipped his pants and buckled his best, I began to rise from the floor, only to be tugged up by his strong arms. No sooner than I looked into his eyes, his mouth crashed against mine. He hummed against my lips as we kissed, his arms wrapping around me tightly. By the time we were both breathless, we realized we should hurry out before someone accidentally walked in on us.

Quickly, I made my exit and Blaine soon followed behind. Luckily for us, no one was seated near the restroom so I took a seat at a small table where I couldn't be easily seen. Blaine kissed the top of my head and sat down across from me. He stared at me, eyes filled with wonder.

“Why did you---“

I held up a hand and shook my head.

His hand reached across the table and took the very same one in his own, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it tenderly, closing his eyes when he did.

He smiled fondly as he pulled away. “I love you so much…”

I gazed back at him, in awe of how his eyes seemed to twinkle.

“I love you too.”

For a few minutes, we sat in the silence with each other, just enjoying being by each other's side. Reluctantly, I pulled my phone from my pocket to check the time. I had about 10 minutes before I needed to head back.

“Walk me back? Halfway maybe?”

His shoulders tensed. “Is that a good idea? What if he---suspects something? Couldn't he be wondering where you are since you left this late?”

I shook my head. “Andy's not like that…at least he hasn't been in the past, but I don't suppose I've given him any reason to be…and you've got some nerve, especially since I remember a certain someone coming to my house yesterday.” I smirked.

He chucked softly. “Okay, so maybe neither of us were thinking, but it's kind of easy to get blindsided by this…especially with me feeling the way I feel about you.”

I leaned across the table and gave him a quick peck.

“I should probably go,” I muttered reluctantly. I didn't want to leave. If it weren't for my kids, I'd throw caution to the wind and go home with the beautiful man before me. I wasn't thinking; it was true. Neither of us were, really, but it couldn't be helped. As I looked into his eyes, memories of our past came rushing back.

 What would have happened if we hadn't broken up for a second time, if I would have let go of my worries and doubts? What would have happened if I had stopped questioning him and believed him when he said there really was no one else and hadn't been since the first time in that October so long ago?

What would have happened if I hadn't found the ring he had bought for me the night he started moving out? What would have happened had I put aside my fear and pride and apologized? We might be together right now, just as we are, only married, with the two wonderful children that I have now.

But none of that mattered now. The past had already been written and this is where we stood in time. Our lives had diverged upon two very different paths, but somehow, although they trailed apart…they had lead us back to each other. I lost him once due to my own foolish mistakes and again a second time for the very same reason. A tiny bird had brought Blaine to me and while I knew it was a sin to cage him, I grew tired of setting him free. Twice I had let him go and three times, he had come back to me. Wasn't it safe enough to call him mine yet?

He nodded slowly. “Since I can't walk back with you, at least let me buy you drink before you go to keep you warm?”

“Okay.”

“What would you like?” he asked as he started to rise from his seat.

“Surprise me. You've always been good at that, but whatever it is, make it a decaf.”

A few minutes later, he returned with two cups in his hands.

“Be careful…it's still pretty hot.”

I lifted the cup to my lips, heading his warning, and took a small sip. To my surprise, it wasn't coffee or even tea for that matter. Knowing me far too well for his own good, it was steamed milk with a splash of almond syrup.

“Warm milk?”

He smiled and took a sip of his own. “Once upon a time, someone told me it was delicious…and he was right. I sometimes get these when I need something comforting.”

“It really is delicious, especially with the almond…I'm impressed.”

He gazed fondly. “I'm just happy that I can make you happy.”

I stood from my chair and shoved my phone into my pocket. “Walk me out?”

He took my other hand in his own. “Absolutely.”

Once outside, we knew we had to part and thoughtfully maneuvered our cups so that we could properly kiss. His lips on mine and the taste of his mouth, so very Blaine, felt like home. Every time we kissed I could feel myself falling further and further away from reality into a place where only the two of us existed. We were being cautious, but I wondered if we were being frivolous. We both knew better. We both knew that we should fastidiously plan every meeting, every text, every phone call, but keeping ourselves away from each other was just too damn hard.

As we parted, I turned to watch him walk in the opposite direction only to find that he had stopped to do the very same thing. He gave me a small wave and I waved in return and began my walk home.

Even though my heart already ached, I knew it wasn't the end. Three days into this. Three god damn days and tomorrow marked the fourth. The sheer absurdity of it all made my head spin and my heart pound. I felt overwhelmed with joy and yet so very ill. It was like a carnival ride that seemed to go faster and faster and while my body fell apart, I couldn't find the sense to make myself get off. Maybe it was all nonsensical, but I looked forward to every single hitch. The rollercoasters, the ferris wheel, the tilt-o-whirl…I'd go until I made myself sick. I was undeniably in love with Blaine and indubitably over my head. We both were, but I'd gladly do it, fail, and do it all again.

Although the milk in my cup was gone all but a drop by the time I reached my doorstep, the warmth from the drink still filled my body. Quickly and quietly, I went inside and into the kitchen to toss my cup in the trash. The house was silent all for the gentle lull of the television in the living room. As I walked over the couch, there laid Andy, fully dressed and sound asleep. I knew I could wake him, but I selfishly wanted to enjoy smelling like Blaine for a few minutes more. Before I showered, I'd toss them at the bottom of the hamper, but for now, I just wanted to linger in his scent.

Upstairs, I quickly disrobed and tossed my clothes in the hamper, but not before retrieving the small card I had left in my pocket and placing it between the mattresses on my side of the bed. Surreptitiously, I moved to the bathroom and turned on the shower and stepped under the welcoming jets of water.

From Friday to Sunday, my days had been filled with glimpses of Blaine, each day bringing more of Blaine than the first. Friday. Saturday. Sunday. Dinah Washington was right. “24 little hours” does quite the difference make and if everyday was going to be as wonderful as the last three, I couldn't wait to see what Monday (and Blaine) had in store.