Blaine was so engrossed by the renovation that he had neglected doing anything that didn't revolve around the bookshop. His barren fridge told him if he didn't want to starve to death, he had better take time out to go shopping. So one afternoon, after Kurt was done for the day, Blaine drove to the grocery store he usually went to near his apartment.

Being away from the book store didn't mean he was relaxing and thinking about other stuff. His mind was constantly reviewing his to-do lists and trying to find ways to help him endure yet another day of Kurt's company. Kurt had been withdrawn for a couple of days after Blaine suggested he get an assistant, but now he was reverting back to his normal snarky self, which meant the ceasefire was over and his unpleasant comments were slipping out again.

Blaine headed for a vacant parking spot when he arrived, and smoothly slid in it before someone else did. He killed the engine and grabbed his totebag from the glove compartment (ecology was important, okay?).

As got out of the car, his attention was drawn to the car parked next to his, where he instantly recognized the shiny hair and strong shoulders of the man putting his purchases in the trunk. Blaine's entire body shuddered in anticipation, as he strove to gather enough air into his lungs to manage a simple word of greeting.

"Hi!"

Josh turned around at the sound of his voice and a smile lit his face as soon as he discovered who it belonged to. "Blaine! Hi! What a surprise."

"Yeah," Blaine self-consciously scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't know you came here."

Josh shrugged. "I was driving by, I needed some groceries and it was open. That's good enough for me."

Blaine smiled in response, not really sure what else to say.

"So, how are things going? Are you still putting your book store together?" Josh asked, sounding genuinely interested, gratifying Blaine. For once, someone who wasn't his mother seemed to care about what he was attempting to do.

"Yes, I just came from there, actually," Blaine answered. "There's still a lot to do, but at least it's well on its way."

"That's great," Josh leaned against his car and his eyes fixed on Blaine. "So... does that mean you're still too busy to go out with me?"

Blaine's stomach twisted awkwardly and he bit his lip, nervously. Didn't he deserve a nice guy in his life? Why was he so scared of saying yes to Josh? One date didn't mean they would get married and have kids. One date was only the first step, if he was ever going to have what he'd always wanted. A first date with Josh would enable him to have some fun, unwind, forget about how hard the past few months had been. And maybe he could learn if Josh could be someone special for him.

If maybe he could betheone and only guy for him.

Blaine took a deep breath, let his gaze fall to the ground for a moment, focusing on the dark pavement under his feet. Then, he adjusted his glasses and looked back up to Josh, saying hesitantly, "I-I'd like to take you up on that offer?"

Josh's smile grew even wider, even brighter, and Blaine was sure his heart skipped a few beats, captivated by the crinkles in the corners of his eyes.

If he was going to change his life, he was going to do it right.

By the time Blaine made it back to his car after getting his groceries, he was almost ready to start hyperventilating.

He had a date.

Shit. Fuck. He had adate.

What the hell was he going to wear?

It wasn't that Blaine hadneverbeen out on a date before. Of course he had. Maybe not as many as he would've liked, but he had gone out with a couple of guys in college, even if most of the time they didn't get to a second or third date.

It was ridiculous to feel so nervous about dating now. He wasn't a kid anymore.

But wasn't that the point? He wasn't a kid anymore and he hadn't had a boyfriend inages. He didn't want to wait forever to find the perfect guy. He didn't want to be fifty before he finally got to adopt kids.

Fine, maybe he was rushing things, leaping years ahead into a happy future, with a man he hadn't even gone out with yet. Maybe Josh wasn't the guy he was supposed to end up with, but... what if he was? What if Blaine could finally stop being so hopelessly alone?

Blaine knew that if he went on like this, he would end up driving himself crazy. Hewasgoing crazy. At this rate, he would end up throwing up out of sheer nerves. Probably on Josh. During their first – and last date.

He grimaced. He couldn't let that happen, so he needed to calm down.

Blaine took a deep breath. He still had a couple of days to find a way to not make a huge fool out of himself.

"You have a date?!"

Blaine grimaced as he pulled the phone away from his ear at the excited squeal coming from the other end. He closed his eyes, patiently. "Yes, Mom. A date."

"With a man, right? Not with some person you have to interview for the book store? We're talking about arealdate?" Heather said eagerly.

Blaine moved around the kitchen, the phone tucked under his neck, pouring coffee and checking that his toast hadn't burned at the same time. "Of course it's a real date..."

"I was just checking, dear," Heather replied sweetly. "You can be so stubbornly introverted sometimes. But I'm glad you finally decided to come out of that shell you were hiding in. This will be really good for you."

"Mom," Blaine muttered, a little embarrassed. "It's just a first date. It doesn't have to mean anything..."

"Yet," she replied firmly. "But that doesn't meant it won't be, at some point. I'm just happy you're doing something about it, Blaine, going after your happiness..."

As he spread some cream cheese on a piece of toast, Blaine couldn't help but smile. Knowing how important his happiness was to his mother sent warmth all over him.

"Now, tell me all about him. What's his name? Where did you meet him?"

Blaine smiled. "His name's Josh and he's a teacher at Dalton. He asked me out several times but I was too busy to accept at first..."

"I'm glad he persevered, then," Heather said. "When is the date?"

"Tomorrow night," Blaine answered, feeling anxiety bubbling in his stomach.

"Then the dayaftertomorrow, you and I are going out for lunch, so you can tell me all about how well it went," she exclaimed, and she sounded so enthusiastic about it, that Blaine didn't have the heart to tell her he had to be at the book store. Maybe he would just have to give Kurt a key so he could let himself in. "There's a lovely new bistro I'm dying to try."

They decided to meet there, and Heather promised she would text Blaine the address later. She also offered to help him shop for something to wear for his date, but Blaine assured her he had already picked something out. They said their goodbyes and then it was just Blaine, his coffee and the echoing silence of his apartment.

He wondered for how much longer that silence would be such a big part of his life.

With an arched eyebrow, Kurt looked down at the silver key lying on his palm.

"What is this?"

Blaine crossed his arms over his chest. "It's a key."

"No shit. I thought it was a puppy," Kurt's cold blue eyes rose to his, eyeing him guardedly. "Why are you giving me a key?"

"I have to meet someone for lunch tomorrow, so I won't be in to open up, in the morning. You can let yourself in, and I'll come back here when I'm done," Blaine explained calmly.

Kurt slipped the key into the back pocket of his jeans. "You don't need to be hereallthe time, you know," he said, as he turned around to rummage into his toolbox, looking for something. "I'm perfectly capable of doing my job without you supervising me."

"I'm not here to supervi-..." Blaine abruptly shut his mouth when Kurt glared over his shoulder at him incredulously. "Fine. Maybe just a little." He ran his hand through his hair, immediately stopping himself when he felt the gel on his fingers. "I've wanted to open this book store for a very long time. I want to be part of the process, even if I'm not entirely useful sometimes."

"Most of the time, I'd say," Kurt huffed under his breath, rolling his eyes.

Blaine frowned. His gaze followed Kurt, and he could feel the words coming up his throat even though he really wanted to hold them back.

"Why do you dislike me so much?"

Damn.

Kurt arched an eyebrow at him again. He seemed mildly amused by the question. "Excuse me?"

"You're really kind of rude," Blaine shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant and hoping he wasn't coming across as hurt.

"Well, don't take it personally. It's not that I don't likeyou," Kurt replied, as if it was obvious.

Blaine felt even more confused by his casual reaction to being called rude. "It's not?"

"Nope," Kurt said, obviously bored already. "Don't feel like you're anything special, because I don't likeanyone, Anderson."

And with that, he turned on whatever electric tool it was that he was holding, and the sound filled the room, keeping Blaine from responding, assuming he could think of anything to say.

He wasn't sure if he would ever understand Kurt, or why he gave a damn about it either.

In just a few weeks (please, please let it be weeks, and let it be only a few), Kurt Hummel would be done and gone, and Blaine wouldn't have to see him again. Ever.

He really couldn't wait for the day to arrive.

Later that day, Blaine waited impatiently until Kurt finished gathering his things. It seemed like the man took forever putting all his tools away and taking them to his truck. Blaine fidgeted by the door, his satchel hanging on his shoulder, ready to hurry home to his apartment as soon as Kurt was done.

"Jesus, Anderson, are there ants in your panties?" Kurt muttered, frowning at him with one of his signature eyerolls.

"No," Blaine answered, before he realized it was actually ridiculous to even bother giving Kurt any sort of answer. "I just need to go, alright?"

Kurt grabbed his jacket and his bag from where he had hung them on the back of the armchair that morning and strolled annoyingly slow towards the door.

The bastard was doing it on purpose to get on Blaine's nerves.

When he saw Blaine's hazel eyes flashed with anger, he smirked. It was just too easy to mess with Blaine...

Blaine closed the door with a lot more force than necessary and then rushed towards his car without sparing another look at Kurt. He had more important things to do that night.

His reflection seemed a little pale when Blaine looked at himself in the mirror. He took a few steadying breaths, and let his eyes roam down to check his outfit instead.

He was wearing a dark purple shirt and black pants that hugged his hips and thighs quite nicely, if he could say so himself. He thought about adding a bowtie to his ensemble, but it was a very warm summer evening and he was already starting to sweat out of nerves. He decided to unbutton the first two buttons on his shirt and roll his sleeves up to his elbow carefully. He still looked neat and composed, and he would be able to breathe easier. Hereallyneeded to be able to breathe tonight.

Blaine took another glance at himself. He adjusted his glasses on his nose, considering taking them off and switching to contacts for the occasion. He hated wearing his contacts, because the next day his eyes were all red, but maybe he would look better in them...

He walked into the bathroom and put them in. He could make one little sacrifice for his date.

"Okay," Blaine whispered, appraising the final result. "I could look a lot worse."

He turned the bathroom light off and walked into the living room. Josh was supposed to pick him up in ten minutes, so Blaine busied himself pretending to read a magazine that he had left on his coffee table earlier. When reading proved to be pretty much impossible, he just settled for looking at the pictures, flipping quickly through the magazine without seeing it.

The doorbell rang while Blaine was reconsidering changing his shirt. And maybe the pants, too. And the belt wasn't as shiny as his shoes; should he change those, too? Shaking all his misgivings from his head, he walked quickly to the door (he certainly didn'tsprint, of course not) and took one last deep breath before pulling it open.

Josh was standing there, wearing jeans that made his legs look sinfully long, and a green shirt that brought out his eyes, with a light jacket on. He was smiling at Blaine in a way that made his stomach swirl. "Hi, Blaine."

"Hi," Blaine answered, a bit breathless. He was sure he must have smiled back, but he was too busy looking at the handsome man at his door to really pay much attention.

"Are you ready to go?" Josh asked, with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Yes, just let me..." He turned to the bowl on the table next to the door and grabbed his keys and wallet. "Ready."

When they were in the car, Josh turned on the AC and soon there were goose bumps rising on Blaine's bare forearms. They chatted amicably after Josh asked him to choose a radio station, the conversation easily falling on what kind of music they liked.

This is easy, Blaine thought with a relieved sigh.He's easy to talk to. It'll be alright. I have nothing to worry about.

He was a lot calmer by the time they made it to the restaurant. Josh found a spot in the parking lot and turned to Blaine after cutting off the engine.

"I hope you like Mexican food," he said, still smiling. "This is the best Mexican restaurant in all of Ohio."

"I love Mexican food," Blaine answered with a smile of his own.

The waitress guided them to a table reserved for two by the window, gave them their menus and then said she'd be back to take their orders in a few minutes.

Blaine looked around. It was a nice restaurant, tastefully decorated with photographs of Mexican plazas hanging on the walls. Soft music was playing on the background, and from what he could see on the tables around them, the food seemed appetizing and colorful.

When he turned back to Josh, he found him staring at him intently from across the table. Blaine hoped he didn't blush, as he looked back down to the menu attentively.

"I don't think I mentioned how hot you look without your glasses," Josh murmured softly.

Blaine smiled shyly. "Thanks. I don't wear my contacts often. They're not very comfortable."

"You should give your eyes a chance to shine more often," Josh winked and then started reading his menu, reminding Blaine that the waitress would come back soon.

They both ordered fajitas, and Josh ordered a bottle of wine. The conversation went to the usual date topics: movies, books (Blaine had a lot to say about this, before he realized he was monopolizing the conversation), and other hobbies. Josh was always smiling and he leaned in closer to Blaine, listening attentively. Blaine caught him staring at his lips several times. Every now and then Josh would interrupt him, in a low voice, to brush his fingers on Blaine's hand or arm, and say "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I wasn't paying attention. I just can't stop thinking about kissing you", which made Blaine turn almost crimson, and babble incoherently into his glass of wine. He felt like a twelve year old girl.

"So tell me more about that book store of yours," Josh said as he refilled Blaine's glass. "When's the big opening?"

"Oh, I still don't know for sure," Blaine replied. "There's so much work to be done. I think it'll take another couple of weeks until I can set a date."

"Are you going to work there yourself or are you hiring someone?"

"Once it's opened?" Blaine asked, wondering for a second if he meant the renovations. When Josh nodded, he continued. "My plan is to do it myself, yes. It's what I've always wanted to do."

Josh hummed, with a bit of a faux pout. "Uhm. Pity. You'll be missed at Dalton."

Blaine shrugged dismissively. "I'm sure they can find a good librarian to replace me."

"Certainly not one as attractive as you are, though," Josh leaned across the table, making his heart thump against his ribs at the proximity of those green eyes.

"Oh... I..." Blaine bit his lip, as he struggled to find a response, but saved by the waitress when she came to collect their empty plates and offer them dessert.

"No dessert for us, thanks," Josh said decisively, before Blaine could even think if he wanted some. "Just the check."

Blaine deflated a little. Was he boring? Was his bashfulness upsetting Josh? Why did he seem so eager to leave? He tried not to show how disappointed in himself he was. At least Josh had stayed during the entire dinner. He probably had wanted to leave the moment they sat at the table.

Blaine tried to pay his half of the meal, feeling bad that Josh had to pay for a date he clearly hadn't enjoyed, but Josh wouldn't hear a word of it, and he slipped his credit card to the waitress. Blaine thanked him in a somber voice and waited patiently until they could go back to the car, so he could let the poor guy drive him home.

The drive back to Blaine's apartment was almost silent, and Blaine was grateful for the music playing on the radio, taking up the empty space between them. His hazel eyes stayed fixed out the window. He just wanted to get home and grab a book. Reading would make him forget and feel better...

Josh stopped the car when they arrived to Blaine's building. He immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the door.

"Thanks so much for dinner," he said, still avoiding looking directly at Josh.

Suddenly, there was a hand on his knee, stopping him from getting out of the car. Blaine turned to him and saw that Josh was smiling at him.

"Let me walk you to your apartment," he said in almost a whisper.

Blaine nodded dumbly.

Blaine fidgeted with his keys all the way up to his floor, trying to compose a heartfelt apology for disappointing Josh that didn't sound pitiful. When they finally made it to his door, he turned but Josh caught him off guard, sneaking an arm around his waist, and pulling him closer. Suddenly, a pair of warm lips was pressing against his.

In his shock, it took Blaine a few seconds to kiss back, but when his brain caught up with the situation, he wrapped his arms around Josh's neck and parted his lips lightly, letting Josh's slide against his softly.

Soon Josh had Blaine pressed against the door, kissing him deeply, and their bodies were touching almost completely, from head to toe. Blaine felt warmth shooting through his veins, and he made a vague attempt to remember when had been the last time a man had held him like that, kissed him like that. It felt so compelling, like Josh could make him forget his years of loneliness by moving his mouth on his.

"It might be presumptuous of me to ask, but..." Josh said between kisses, so close to Blaine that his breath warmed his cheek. "Can I come inside?"

It was hard for Blaine to think when Josh's tongue was pushing its way into his mouth. Blaine had never been the kind of guy who would take things to bed in his first date, which was probably one of the reasons why some men hadn't really bothered to come back. But too muchneedandwantwere swirling inside of him, and Blaine couldn't see much similarity between Josh and those other guys. He had a good feeling about them. He wasn't sure how he knew that, but Blaine was certain saying yes wouldn't be a mistake.

He stopped kissing Josh long enough to turn around and try to fit the key in the lock. Immediately, Josh started kissing the back of his neck, his hands tightening on Blaine's hips as he pulled him against his overheated body. Blaine's fingers were shaking as he did his best to get the door to open, and he might have done a little victory dance when he finally managed it, except Josh slammed the door closed and pushed him against it again, as soon as they were inside.

Blaine pulled away, trying to remember to breathe and recall his manners, as Josh kissed down his jaw and neck.

"I... w-would you like something to drink?" He offered with a gasp, his words followed by a low moan he emitted involuntarily, when Josh nibbled on that spot on his neck where he was particularly sensitive.

"Not really," Josh replied, sucking his ear lobe into his mouth. His hands wandered to Blaine's stomach, feeling the muscles there. "Why don't you show me where your bedroom is?"

Blaine inhaled sharply. Josh's touch seemed to be burning him even through his clothes. He whimpered when Josh sucked on the bit of skin that peeked through the unbuttoned part of his shirt and his hands flew to Josh's head, fingers tangling in his hair.

"Come on, Blaine," Josh groaned. "Tell me where your bedroom is..." he licked his way up to Blaine's lips again, speaking right against his skin. "Unless you want me to fuck you right here against the door..."

Blaine whimpered helplessly one more time, whatever remaining air he had in his lungs leaving him in a rush. "D-down the hallway. S-second door."

Josh didn't stop kissing him as they stumbled through the apartment, undressing each other in a hurry, knocking a lamp to the floor, until they arrived to Blaine's room.

They kicked the door closed behind them. Only the trail of discarded clothes and the moans coming from the bedroom were signs that the apartment wasn't as empty as it usually was.