I met Blaine in the parking lot after changing into my new outfit. I thought his eyes were going to fall out of his head as he raked them up and down my frame. I guess it paid to have an eye for fashion.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” I called as I approached him. “I had to-”

“You weren’t wearing that before.”

“Huh?”

“In English. You weren’t wearing that.” He swallowed hard.

“Oh, yeah, I changed for dinner. I hope that’s alright?”

“Oh it’s more than alright, but I think I’m going to have a hard time focusing on anything my parents put in front of me. Or say. Or anything other than you.”

My eyes widened as I tried to hide my blush. Was Blaine hitting on me?

“Oh, uh, thank you. I think. So I’ll follow you to your house then?” I said gesturing to my car and changing the subject quickly.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. It might be bad to have you in the car when you’re dressed like that anyway. Eyes gotta stay on the road.”

“Blaine.”

“Sorry, sorry. Just follow me. It’s not too far from here.”

Why did he have to say things like that? I asked myself as I started the car and tried to calm down. I couldn’t go into his house to meet his parents with a, uh, problem going on.

On the drive over, I fixed my situation as best I could. Blaine was right; he did live relatively close to the school.

I parked behind his car in the driveway that held two more expensive looking cars. The driveway ended at a detached garage, diagonal to the house.

Blaine’s house wasn’t a mansion, exactly, but it was easily twice the size of our small house. It was a white clapboard colonial style house with black shutters and a matching roof. The front door had a small porch with pillars on either side. Below the large front windows were well cared for hedges, perfectly square just like the house.

“Blaine, your house is amazing,” I gawked.

“Naw, not really,” he smiled. “It’s a regular home, really.”

We walked through the front door and I’m sure my eyes were bugging out of my head. “Uh, Blaine, no it’s not.”

Maybe it was the open floor plan, the grand staircase that lead to a balcony on the second floor, or the wall of windows that covered the south wall of the house, but to me, the Anderson household seemed anything but “regular”. I stood dumbfounded in the foyer, taking it all in.

Blaine looked at me with a smile. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my mom,” he said, taking me by the hand.

“Blaine!” called a voice from the balcony. My eyes darted up to see a small boy in a black polo shirt and grey plaid pants, leaning over the railing. His dark hair was just a shade lighter than Blaine’s. The boy bounded down the stairs, jumping the last few, and came to a stop in front of Blaine. Blaine wrapped him up in a big hug, pulling him off his feet and into his arms.

“Hey, Mattie.” Blaine said with a squeeze. Mattie squeaked with joy, wriggling to get free. Blaine put him back on his feet.

That’s when Mattie looked at me for the first time, his gaze hardened.

“Who is this?” Mattie asked.

“Mattie, I want you to meet Kurt,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist. My eyes widened in surprise. “Kurt, this is my little brother Mattie.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mattie,” I said kindly.

Mattie just grunted, eyeing me up and down. Blaine bopped him on the head playfully. “Be nice. Kurt means a lot to me. Now, where’s mom?”

“She’s in the kitchen. She’s been cooking for hours,” he groaned.

Blaine turned to me again. “Come on, come meet my mom.”

The three of us walked beneath the staircase and into an open living room with a massive television and big leather couches. To the right was the kitchen, where a short woman with long dark hair stood in front of the sink, her back turned to us. I could see from where I was that she was dressed in a nice blouse and skirt combo. She turned from her work to look over her shoulder at us. Her eyes were striking; golden brown with a twinkle right in the corner. Just like Blaine’s.

“Blaine,” she said with a smile. Wiping her hands on her white apron, she opened her arms. Blaine met her, giving her a hug. “Hello, dear.”

“Hey, mom.”

“And you must be Kurt.”

“Yes, it’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson.”

“Oh, my pleasure is all mine, dear. Welcome to our home. Make yourself comfortable.”

“It smells great in here, mom! What’s on the menu?” Blaine asked, picking the top off of a pot on the stove.

His mother swatted his hand away, making him drop the top back into place, “No peeking, you’ll ruin the broccoli by letting the steam out!” She stirred another pot with a wooden spoon then spun around, checking whatever was in the oven. Blaine was right; it did smell incredible in there. “I’m making Chicken Orecchiette with broccoli, stewed tomatoes, and Portobello mushrooms and a side salad. And for desert we have apple pie that should be done any minute now. Is that alright with you, Kurt?”

“Oh yes!” I answered quickly. I was so not used to all this attention, “It sounds delicious. Thank you so much, you didn’t have to do all this.”

“Oh please, let me. It’s nice to entertain one of Blaine’s guests for a change.”

“Mom,” Mattie whined, pulling on his mother’s skirt. “That doesn’t sound good to me.”

“What doesn’t, baby?”

“I hate mushrooms,” he pouted. “Can’t we have Chinese instead?”

“Well, Matheus, maybe if you help me finish this, we might be able to keep the mushrooms out of yours. How’s that sound?”

Mattie’s eyes lit up. He nodded quickly, pulling over a chair so he could reach the stove properly.

Blaine secretly took my hand in his. “I want to show you something,” he whispered in my ear. I nodded, slipping out of the kitchen and out the large sliding glass door by the living room. Their backyard was just as impressive as the inside of the house. Several gardens were placed throughout the yard with a stone path that led around the area. At our feet was a stone patio with patio furniture on the side, surrounding a wood-burning stove.

I looked at Blaine who was, of course, staring right back at me. His golden eyes sparkled with some emotion I couldn’t place. God, he was beautiful. If only I had the guts to tell him-

“Courage!”

“What?” I blushed. Was he reading my mind now?

“No, Courage, my dog!” Over on one of the couches was an old Border Collie, slumped into the cushions. We walked over to him and he lifted his head slightly, wagging his tail at the sight of Blaine. “Hey, boy! I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

I came up on cue, reaching my hand out to him. Courage sniffed my hand for a moment and then licked it lightly.

“Wow, he likes you. Even in his old age, Courage doesn’t like new people. Isn’t that right, buddy?”

He barked in relpy.

“Well, Courage is an excellent judge of character,” I said turning to look up at Blaine as I pet the dog. He beamed at me.

Blaine pulled on my other hand, pulling me toward the gardens, Courage wobbling behind us.

The beds were full of beautiful, exotic flowers. They were all so wonderful.

“Kurt? Kurt, what’s wrong?” Blaine asked, stopping us near the back of the gardens. I looked at him confused for a moment. What did he mean? That’s when he reached up and wiped the tear off my cheek.

“It’s nothing.”

“Kurt,” he pleaded.

“It’s just, these gardens are so beautiful, well cared for and thriving. It reminds me of my mom.  She loved gardening and always had luscious flowers growing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love Carole, but she doesn’t have the green thumb my mother did.”

“I’m sorry, if this is upsetting for you we can-”

“Blaine, no. This is a happy memory. I- this might sound dumb, but I feel like she’s here with us somehow. Watching over us.”

Blaine took both my hands in his, looking me right in the eye with that conflicted expression again. “And what does she see?” he asked.

“Something magical; her son happy,” I said with a shy smile.

And then Blaine’s gaze flickered to my lips and lingered there. I felt my face heat up at what that could possibly mean. His hands trailed slowly up and down my arms, earning a shiver from me. He looked up at me then with the sweetest look in his eyes; I could have kissed him right then and there. My mind was spinning, the attention overwhelming. But the way Blaine was looking at me in that moment, I felt like I belonged as a Leading Lad for the first time.

“Kurt,” he whispered, leaning in closer.

“Rrouf!”

We turned away from each other to find Courage waiting next to white bench beneath an enormous willow tree in the corner of the yard. Blaine turned back to me for a moment and knit his brow, as if confused as to what was happening, and I felt my heart sink a little. I didn’t like that face.

“Come on,” he said, shaking his head a little. “This is what I wanted to show you.”

I followed him to where Courage was waiting. As we walked through the boughs, I felt very comfortable in its shadow. It was like sitting in a sunny green room of my own.

“It’s beautiful in here,” I breathed.

“This, um,” he stumbled, petting Courage’s head as a distraction. “This is my favorite reading spot. Well, my favorite when I’m not with you at the park or something. But it’s so quiet back here. I can read out here for hours without a care.”

“I can see why. It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it is,” Blaine said, not even bothering to look at the tree, but rather keeping his gaze on me. I looked at him again, giving him a soft smile. I could see him blush underneath the branches.

“So, uh, how old is Mattie?” I asked, changing subjects.

“He’s nine. He’ll be turning ten in a few weeks.”

“He seems short for his age. I don’t mean it as a bad thing, he just, does.”

“Did you look at my mother? Have you seen me? It kinda runs in our family. But we think he’s going to take after our dad and sprout up when he’s a teenager.”

“Hmm, something tells me you didn’t get that benefit,” I laughed.

He jabbed me in the side, making me squeak. Blaine looked from his hand to my side and then back again, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Ticklish, are we?”

My eyes widened in horror. “Blaine Anderson, don’t you dare.”

He started to wince, holding his wrist with his other hand. “I’m-I’m sorry, Kurt, I have lost control!”

Courage jumped up from his spot, and started to bark at Blaine.

“Blaine, no!” I warned, scooching away from him.

“I-I can’t hold back much longer! Kurt- Kurt help! My hand has a mind of its own!”

And then he attacked me, wiggling and digging his fingers into my sides.

“Blaine!” I shrieked, before collapsing into a giggling fit. I tried to get away from him, ending up falling off the bench entirely. Blaine followed, taking the opportunity to pin me down, one leg on either side of my waist. Courage took off running toward the house.

Traitor.

I hadn’t been tickled since I was a kid, since my mother was alive. When I was young, my mom and dad would come into my room to read me to sleep but sometimes, I wouldn’t get tired. So they would tickle me, tiring me out. Though I was begging him to stop, it was a warm, nostalgic feeling.

He continued his assault, making tears stream down my face. “B-B-Blaine! P-p-please! I can’t, I can’t breathe!”

“Yeah, Blaine! Give ’im a break!”

Blaine’s fingers stilled at my sides instantly. I looked up above me to find Mattie standing on an old wooden swing attached to a branch, not far from us.

“Mattie!” Blaine moaned, standing up quickly. He held out his hand for me. I took it, pulling me upward. “Get out of here!”

“Mom says that dinner is ready,” he smiled, jumping off the swing. I looked at the ground, too embarrassed to look at him for some reason. As he passed by, Mattie hip-checked me, sending me into Blaine. My hands landed on his chest as he caught me around the waist. I looked into his eyes and I could have sworn I saw him blush to his roots. “Come on you two, dinner is getting cold!” Mattie giggled, heading for the house.

Blaine leaned his head on my shoulder for a moment but I was too frozen to move.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said with one final look.

He let go of me, turning toward the house. He crouched low and took off in a low sprint, heading towards his brother. Mattie caught on too late; Blaine plowed into him, pulling his little brother over his shoulder

“Blaine! Blaine, put me down!” Mattie struggled against him, laughing all the while.

“No way, little brother,” Blaine chuckled. “This is your punishment for spying on us!”

I caught up with them, walking beside Blaine. He looked at me from over Mattie’s belly; his eyes kind and dark.

“Why don’t you just take him out on a real date like a normal human!” Mattie bellowed.

Still gazing at me, Blaine said, “You know, Mattie, that’s not a bad idea.” Blaine put him down by the sliding door and kneeled down to his eye level. “But as you are well aware I am not a normal human, I am a native of the planet Anderxon and therefore, a real date won’t do.” He said, eyeing me again. I blushed, looking away. “But I will take your human idea into consideration, young Padawan.”

Mattie rolled his eyes and scurried into the house.

“The planet Anderxon?” I smirked.

“Eh, we like to play Star Wars sometimes. Sue me.”

My smile grew wider and I gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Never.”

Blaine opened the door for me and we walked into the dining room that was just off the kitchen.

Sitting at the head of the table was a large man with a mustache above his lip. His light brown eyes crinkled with a kind smile. He stood, making his way to us. He towered over us with his broad shoulders.

“You must be the ever elusive Kurt,” the man said with a deep voice. I felt immediately intimidated by him. This guy wasn’t big like with a round belly, he was big, like, muscles and build. It was obvious that this man worked out on a regular basis. He extended a hand to me. “Samuel Anderson.”

Even though I was terrified he would break my bony hand in his massive grip, I took it, holding as tightly as I dared.

“Yes, sir. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“That’s a good grip you got there, Kurt,” he said with a hairy smile. “That says a lot about a man.”

“Thank you, sir.”

As Mr. Anderson sat down again he let out a deep, joyful laugh. “Listen to this kid, Katherine.” He nudged his wife who had just set the salad on the table. “‘Yes, sir’, ‘Thank you, sir’. I’m not even in uniform! Call me Sam.”

“Yes, si-uh, Sam,” I said, sitting next to Blaine at the table.

“Can I call you Sam?” Mattie asked from across the table.

“Only if you want to lose a few teeth,” his father joked.

“Samuel!” Katherine scolded.

“What?” he laughed.

I couldn’t help but laugh too. I looked at Blaine who didn’t seem to be paying attention to a single thing his family was saying. He was too absorbed in me to listen. He was openly staring at me. I had to admit, it was nice being the center of attention for once, and boy did Blaine like to make me the center of attention. He gave my knee a reassuring squeeze beneath the table, making my eyes widen. I caught his mother’s eye, who smiled at us and suddenly found her salad extremely interesting.

The rest of dinner was really nice. We talked about school and work and Nationals. Blaine’s parents and little brother were really wonderful, so accepting and kind-hearted. He was lucky. Sure, my dad and Carole were perfect, but sometimes being around Finn made things awkward. But Mattie, Mattie was awesome. He loved his brother with everything he had. I envied them.