Prologue

February 5th, 2016

The wedding could easily be described as classy and elegant. The Earth tones theme of The Brooklyn Botanic Garden creating a calming effect. Kurt Hummel knew he’d look back on this day the rest of his life. The setting was the best New York City had to offer and Kurt had always dreamed of being married there. He wanted it to be as memorable as possible, even exceeding his own expectations. The garden brought up joyful memories of his dearly departed mother; whom he knows would have been more than delighted to have attended, and the fact that she spent most of her life fawning over her plants with the same love and care she gave Kurt and his father was more than a bonus.

In retrospect, the day had been nothing short of perfect for him. This day was one Kurt had spent his whole life planning, long before he’d picked out the groom. Seeing it all unfold before him is pretty much a dream come true.

All Kurt can do is feel pure happiness when he finally starts stepping down the aisle, while Carole and his father at each side. The smile on his face barely revealed the joy he was feeling. He slowly starts to notice the wary glances of the spectators as he moves down the aisle toward the judge. He tries not to panic because it’s his wedding and everything is perfect, perfect, perfect – until he reaches the judge and realizes his fiancé is missing.

The judge seems as perplexed as the others and Kurt glances around only to be weighed down by the amount of confusion on everyone’s faces. The dread starts to kick in before he turns back to once again realize his fiancé, the man he’s supposed to marry, isn’t anywhere in sight. Finn is there instead with Rachel by his side, and their expressions bring nothing but pain to Kurt’s heart.

“Kurt,” Rachel starts, upset, “I’m sorry.” She pauses for a long moment, or so it feels like it, and then finishes with, “Blaine isn’t here.”

The room is full of whispers then, loud dramatic gasps, and hurtful words. They fall deaf to Kurt because all he can hear is a loud crash of agony welling up inside of him. It’s the tight grips of his father and Carole that barely help him come back to earth.

“I’m sure there’s an explanation for this,” his father says, trying to be the voice of reason at the moment.

Except Kurt knows better than to believe the reassurance; there’s way too many lifetime movies out there that have prepared him for the actual reality of this situation, but the pain is a thousand times worse than in the movies. It’s sharp, stinging, and unapologetic.

The only thing that keeps him from falling apart in front of all of the guests is Rachel’s strong embrace, hanging on to him for dear life.

As she’s holding him, Kurt knows the feeling of perfection is long past dead, but the feeling of hope still burns with the comfort of Rachel by his side. He feels lucky to be granted the pleasure of having this girl be his best friend. Rachel’s not just there to give helpful advice or singing tips, but also for the heartbreakingly painful times that no one sees coming.

Rachel just holds him while softly singing in his ear, “Love, love will keep us together. Think you’ll be brave whenever.”

Lovers come and go, but Rachel will forever be in his life.