Kurt looked down at his watch 7:20 am .  “Shit. I’m going to be late.”  He rushes to walk the three blocks from his apartment to the subway.  Right before the stairs that lead to the subway the coffee shop catches his attention.  He might as well just stop here for her coffee; at least if he’s late he’ll have an excuse.    

Surprisingly enough, there was no line so he was able to walk right up to the counter.  “Hi!” A small brown haired girl chipperly greeted him.  ‘Wow’, he thought, she was way too perky for it to be so early in the morning.  Kurt then found himself wondering how many espressos she had already.  “What can I get for you today?”

“I’ll take a grande non-fat mocha and a venti latte with double espresso shots.”

“Name?”

“Kurt for the grande, Isabelle for the venti.”

“Be right up.”  The chipper brunette turned to make the coffees, and as she did she began to sing softly to herself.  “Something has changed in me, something is not the same. I’m through playing by the rules, of someone else’s game-“

Kurt’s mood picked up, there were very few things he loved more the Wicked.  “Are you singing Defying Gravity?”

“Oh, I’m sorry; I didn’t realize you could hear me.  And yes, it’s one of my favorite musicals.”

“Mine too.  You have a lovely voice.”

“Why thank you Kurt.  I’m Rachel.”  She says handing him the coffees.

“Nice to meet you Rachel, but I really have to go, I’m late.”  Rachel waves goodbye as he scurries out the door.

Every morning that week Kurt found himself heading to the coffee shop to chat with the young barista (and to get his coffee of course.)  He found her energy absolutely infectious.  Between customers they chatted about music, Broadway and fashion.  They instantly bonded; it was like Rachel was his long lost best friend.  They; however, in the ten fleeting minutes each morning didn’t have much time to actually get to know each other – just chat. 

Thursday morning Rachel got an idea.  “Hey Kurt, since you like music, my –er – friend is singing down at Bella Noche for their dinner theater tonight.  It’s at 6:30, you should stop by.  He’s really good – not me of course, but he’s really good.”

Kirk smirked at her last comment.  “I’ll check my schedule and see, I should be able to.”

“I hope so, you’d enjoy it.”

“Okay,” Kurt looked at his watch – late again – “shit, sorry gotta go!”  Rachel just smiled and waved as Kurt rushed out the door and down the subway stairs.  ‘He’s perfect.’ She thought to herself.  ‘Now I just have to get them to meet.’

*x*x*

On Thursdays Blaine got out of his last class at 3 and by 3:30 he was at Marley’s apartment to pick up Bernadette.  “Hey Marley, how was she today?”

“She was perfect as always.  I swear I hear her trying to sing various Broadway songs.”  Blaine chuckled.

“Wouldn’t be Rachel’s daughter if she didn’t.”

“I know that’s right.”

“So, Blaine, how is everything with school and Rachel?  We haven’t really had the chance to talk since I got here.”  Blaine sat on the couch and started putting on Bee’s shoes.

“School’s alright.  I am taking some pretty basic classes to start out so I do not see myself being particularly challenged this semester.  I am intrigued by my psych class though, I actually look forward to getting farther into my lessons.”  He purposely avoided the Rachel question, it’s not that he didn’t trust Marley, but he wasn’t ready for it to get back to Lima that he and Rachel were ‘broken up’.  “How are your classes?” 

“They are actually really good.  Community college is probably as much of a challenge as McKinley, which means I’m really not challenged, so I might have to transfer to university sooner!”  Blaine smiled and picked up Bee and her diaper bag.  “Hey Blaine, Monday if the weather was nice I was wondering if I could take her to the Bronx zoo.  I really want to see it before it gets to cold and I know she would love the animals.”

“I don’t see a problem with it; I’ll run it by Rachel and text you ok?” 

“Sounds great!  I’ll walk you down stairs; I have to get to class.”  Marley put her backpack on and followed Blaine and the baby out of the door.  Right before they got down to the main doors Marley stopped Blaine.  “Hey Blaine, you know you can talk to me right?”  Blaine looked confused for a moment.  “I know it’s probably none of my business, but I can tell something is up with you.  And I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, you can trust me.”

Blaine just smiled up at her.  “Thanks, that means a lot.”  He kissed her on the cheek.  “I’ll see you Monday.” Blaine and Bernadette left to walk the four blocks to their apartment. They really lucked out with their apartment being coincidentally so close to Marley’s cousin’s place.

“Well Bee, you and I have a few hours to play until Daddy has to go to work tonight.”  He said to her while ruffling his hand through her hair.

“Da-dee! Da-dee!”  Blaine stared at his daughter in amazement.  She just said her first word and it was daddy!  He quickly called Rachel to tell her the news.  He had a smile cemented on to his face, which wasn’t going to be going anywhere soon.

*x*x*

It was 6:45 before Kurt could get down to Bella Noche.  Isabelle had an emergency and had him stay a half an hour late.  He ordered a coffee and snuck into the show room.  The entertainment had already begun so he assumed it was Rachel’s friend.  He sat at the piano singing a stunning version of one of Kurt’s favorite songs.  (Not that he would ever admit it you see.)  ”… before you met me, I was alright but things were kinda heavy.  Now every February, you’ll be my valentine, valentine.  Let’s go all the way tonight, no regrets, just love.  We can dance until we die, you and I will be forever young…”  Kurt became instantly infatuated with the beautiful stranger.  The emotion that he put in to his art was absolutely breath taking.  He watched as he closed his eyes and let his head sway with the rhythm of the key strokes.  And his voice, his voice seemed to have this ability to reach down into his soul; Kurt watched him, seeming bewitched, by this beautiful stranger.  “… I’ma get your heart racing, in my skin-tight jeans.  Be your teenage dream tonight.  Let you put your hands one me, in my skin tight jeans.  Be your teenage dream tonight.” 

The entire audience clapped and cheered for him, Kurt think he may have loudest of all.   Blaine sang a few more songs, Kurt wouldn’t have been able to tell you which ones; however, because he was too mesmerized by Blaine to actually hear what was going on around him.  It was like there was no one else in the room besides him.  The stranger spoke breaking Kurt of his trance: “Here’s my last song for the evening and then the beautiful Cassandra will take over the stage.  This is one of my personal favorite songs, by the immensely talented Tamia.”  Blaine looked back at the piano and started to play again.  Kurt watched his fingers fly gracefully across the keys.  “All I hear is raindrops, falling on the rooftop.  Oh baby tell me why’d you have to go.  ‘Cause this pain I feel it won’t go away, and today, I’m officially missing you.  I thought that from this heartache I could escape.  But I fronted long enough to know, there ain’t no way, and today, I’m officially missing you...”

Kurt was absolutely amazed with him.  It was like love at first sight.  Wait, Kurt did not believe in love at first sight because it doesn’t exist.  But he was; however, completely enthralled with the beautiful stranger.  He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.  Rolling his eyes he took it out to see who it was.  It was Isabelle.  She needed him to call her NOW. “Horrible timing Isabelle.”  He muttered to himself having to drag himself up from the chair against his better judgment.  Kurt snuck out of the back of the room as Blaine continued to sing.

“… All I do it lay around, two ears full of tears, from looking at your face on the wall, face on the wall.  Just a week ago you were my baby.  Now I don’t even know you at all, don’t know you at all…”

When Blaine was finished with his set he rushed to the back to the main room.  He was hoping to see that guy who was watching him during his performance; the man who was staring at him the entire show.  Blaine first saw him staring during Teenage Dream.  When he was in the middle of his fourth song and he was still starting at him, he got a funny feeling in his stomach.  It wasn’t a bad feeling, it was jut a feeling he had never actually felt before.  He liked the feeling though.  He really wasn’t able to get a good look at the man’s face being so dark in the room, but he could tell that he was beautiful.  Blaine scanned the entire room.  He was nowhere to be found.  ‘Shit.  He must have already left.’ Blaine thought to himself as he walked out the door and headed back to his apartment.  ‘I hope he comes back.’