Kurt exited the theatre with a skip in his step, Steph close on his heels.

“Are you going to tell me what's going on? You were completely normal when you went in there to get your phone and you come out looking like- like,” Kurt turned around, biting his lip to keep in his squeals. Steph studied his face for a moment before realization dawned on her face. “Oh my God.. you invited Blaine! I knew from the moment I saw you look at him at auditions!” Steph exclaimed in the middle of the busy sidewalk, pointing her finger at Kurt's chest.

Kurt rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly before pulling at Steph's arm, indicating he wanted to walk and talk. “Listen, Steph. I can't explain it, but every time I look at him I feel this pressure on my chest telling me to just run up to him and kiss him,” he heard Steph squeal under her breath beside him. “Am I crazy for feeling that way? I mean, we've only known each other for a few days, the last thing I want is to creep him out.”

Steph stopped him again, this time pulling him to the side and away from the passing strangers.

“Kurt you can like whoever you want. There was never a rule made about how long you should wait after meeting someone before asking them out. I say go for it. And I can tell you one thing for sure..” Steph flashed a smirk. “You weren't the only one sending heart eyes between you and him.”

Kurt blushed before looking down. Did Blaine really like him like.. THAT?

Steph tugged at his arm.

“C'mon. You're coming to my house so we can check the cast list together first thing in the morning,” Steph said, pulling Kurt along with him. Kurt smiled and breathed a laugh.

“I'm coming, I'm coming!” Kurt replied, jogging to catch up with her. He linked his arm with hers before they flagged down a taxi and climbed in. Kurt told the cabbie his address so he could pick up a few things before going to Steph's.

Once they arrived, Kurt gave some money to the driver and invited Steph up, explaining he wanted to introduce her to his friends. They climbed the stairs hurriedly, wanting to get to her house as soon as possible. Kurt opened the door, assuming it was unlocked and beckoned Steph to come in, closing the door behind her. They found Rachel at the table eating a bagel and Santana on the couch flipping through a magazine. Both of them looked up when they entered, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at their guest.

“Hey guys, this is Steph. She auditioned for My Heart's A Haven, too. She got a callback,” Steph waved at both of them, clearly shy. Rachel hummed and continued eating while Santana just returned her focus to the magazine in her lap. Kurt rolled his eyes.

“I'm gonna spend the night at her house so we can check the cast list together in the morning, so I'm just gonna go pack,” Kurt turned to Steph. “Make yourself comfortable. It'll only be a few minutes.”

Steph nodded and sat down, eyes doe-like and almost a little scared. Kurt winced in sympathy. He knew how uninviting Rachel and Santana can be. He left the room without another thought and packed as quickly as possible so he wouldn't have to leave Steph in there with Rachel's wit and Santana's claws.

The three girls sat awkwardly together for a few moments before Santana spoke up.

“Listen, I don't know you well enough to judge..” Santana gestured her hand from Steph to Kurt's room. “..this, but if you screw with my boy, you're screwing with me. Understand?” Santana eyebrows were raised impressively and her finger pointed menacingly toward Steph. Steph nodded frantically.

“I would never do anything to hurt him. I know we've only known each other for a few days but I've already felt more close to him than any friend I've made since moving here,” Steph said. Rachel scoffed quietly into her bagel while Santana just sat back looking satisfied enough.

“Good. Then we'll have no problems,” Santana said, resuming her interest with the magazine. They sat in silence for a couple minutes more before Kurt padded into the living room, overnight bag in hand.

“You ready?” Kurt turned to Steph, surprised to find she's still perfectly in tact. Her eyes seemed a little too eager at the prospect of leaving making Kurt wonder exactly what happened when he was gone.

“Yeah,” she replied, standing up quickly and making towards the door. “It was nice meeting you two. I hope to see you soon,” Steph said in a rush, making her desire to leave that much more obvious. Kurt shook his head to himself. He really needed to teach Santana some basic pointers on hospitality.

“You too,” Rachel mumbled distractedly. Santana didn't even respond.

“Okay then, see you guys,” Kurt said, grabbing Steph's hand and exiting, slamming the door behind him. On their way down, Steph seemed to still be in a funk.

“You alright? I know they might seem a little uninviting, but they have a hard time letting new people in. They tend to think of new people as intruders and not friends,” Kurt said. “They'll come around sooner than later.”

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure I have a death threat from Santana now. She is very,” Steph paused looking for the word. “Protective of you. It's nice having friends that you can trust.”

Kurt sighed and pulled her into a hug right before they made it out of the building. He figured Steph had a rough past when it came to friends, but he didn't push. She'd tell him when she was ready.

“Thank you for understanding,” Kurt said, pulling away, opening the door and stepping outside. It was getting darker, but Steph informed Kurt that she only lived a few blocks away and saw no need in buying a taxi when they could just walk. On their way to her house, they stopped at the corner store and bought candy and ice cream. Even though the junk would go straight to Kurt's thighs, he just couldn't say no after Steph practically dragged him into the store chanting “MOVIE NIGHT!” the entire time.

Once they made it to her place, Kurt stepped inside and felt an overwhelming sense of home. The light fixtures gave a slight yellow tint to every object in the room, the living room looked like it could fit no more than 3 people, and the carpet underneath made him feel so- warm. It was a small apartment, but it made Kurt feel welcome and safe.

"You have a lovely home, Steph," Kurt said as he walked around, stopping in the hallway to look at the framed pictures on the wall. There was a picture of Steph as a little girl and another little girl wrapped up in a blanket, wide smiles on their faces. He ran his fingers over the unfamiliar girls face and then glanced over at Stephs face in the picture. Steph looked so sad and so lost despite her ear-to-ear grin.

"Thats Oliva," Steph whispered behind him. Kurt heard so much heart-break in those two words and he felt his heart break just a little bit with her. Kurt didnt respond, assuming she would elaborate when she was ready. He heard her breath stutter behind him, and he turned around. Stephs arms were wrapped tightly around herself, blocking the outside world for what it could say to her. What it could do to her.

"I- she-" Steph looked down and gathered her breath. "We were best friends back in Arizona. We did absolutely everything together. We were inseparable," she made air quotes around inseparable and Kurt winced, knowing where the story was headed. "After we graduated high school, I told her about my plans to come here and start a life here. Make it as an actor. She- she yelled at me and told me that all I was doing was running away from my life, not- not," Steph stuttered. Kurt couldnt hold back anymore. He pulled Steph into a hug and held her tightly, gently rubbing her back.

"Ssh, its okay. She didnt know what she was talking about, Steph. Youre one of the most talented people I know, and I know for fact youre gonna make it in the big leagues. Dont underestimate yourself just because one person gets you down," Kurt said, continuing his ministrations of Stephs back. She was crying on his shoulder by now, clinging tightly to Kurts shirt. Kurt sighed. No one deserves that kind of treatment. No one.

"Hey, how about we watch a movie? You choose?" Kurt said, pulling away and grabbing Stephs hand. He led her to the couch and sat her down before going to the DVD and setting it up.

"Can we watch a horror? I just- I really need a distraction," Steph said from the couch, looking more scared than before.

"Sure. That sounds perfect," Kurt found a movie that had a gorey DVD case, so he assumed it was horror. He popped it in and walked to the kitchen, grabbing the candy, ice cream and two spoons before turning off every light except for the dining room light. He walked back to the couch and found Steph wrapped in a familiar blanket. The same blanket in the photo. Kurt gave a small smile when she looked up. She reached to the side of her on the couch and revealed a blanket for Kurt. He smiled and accepted it, handing the stuff to Steph while he got comfortable.

About halfway through the movie when all of the ice cream was eaten and they were starting on the candy, Steph leaned her head on Kurts shoulder.

"Thank you for being there for me. Its nice having someone who believes in you," she yawned. Kurt kissed her temple.

"Go to sleep. Ill wake you up when the movies done, so you can head to your room," Steph nodded only once before she was under. Kurt finished the movie, only jumping once out of the entire thing. He shook Steph awake.

"Steph wake up. Go to your room now. Ill just crash on the couch," Steph nodded and stumbled to her room while Kurt got up and turned the dining room light off, lying down on the couch after. He decided to get some sleep, one thought on his brain.

The cast list goes up.