After landing at LAX, Kurt adjusted his tie and hopped off of the plane, more nervous than he'd been in a while. He was embarrassed by the fact that he was more aware of his surroundings than usual. Every week he stopped to get a bite to eat before flying back to New York, ignoring all of the eager tourists, businessmen and women, and families scurrying around, just trying to move past them without seeming too annoyed. Today, however, was different. Kurt kept his head held high and made eye contact with every person possible. He secretly hoped one of the many faces in the crowd would turn out to be Blaine. He didn't know what he'd say to him if he did happen to run into him, but he looked anyway.

By the time he made his way to order, he hadn't seen a single person even resembling the well-dressed man he'd been subtly looking for. He pulled out his wallet to pay the man behind the counter before he grabbed his food and sat down at one of the small, round tables nearest to him, scarfing down his sandwich as quickly as he was able to, careful not to get anything on his uniform. Not even five minutes later, he resumed his standing position and began making his way towards the terminal, assuring himself that Blaine could still be somewhere inside the crowded airport.

Kurt went through his usual routine, urging the next hour of the day to go by much quicker than it had been. He wasn't able to think about how apprehensive he was to see the identities of the upcoming passengers because from the minute he stepped onto the plane, he was immediately whisked away to help clear out the trash and help with the luggage. It wasn't until the passengers were beginning to board that he was able to take his place by the door, greeting each person as they stepped inside and took their seat. He kindly smiled at each person as they walked by, waiting for the one man who would make his smile significantly less forced. The one person he would be genuinely happy to see, the one who would make it impossible to erase the smile that so willingly spread across his face even if he were to try.

The flow of passengers began to slow before stopping altogether, and Kurt felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach when he realized Blaine had never boarded the plane. He could still show up. He might be running a little late, he tried to convince himself. He glanced at his watch, noting that the plane was to take off in a little more than five minutes, giving Blaine very little time to walk through the door. When the time approached 11:55, he reluctantly closed up the plane and scurried to the back of the cabin, pulling the curtain closed behind him. Each intake of oxygen felt like a thousand needles hitting the back of his throat, and he could feel his unsteady breath struggling to make it into his lungs. He was aware of the tremble in his voice as he greeted the last few passengers and knew it'd only get worse if he were to try to speak for a longer period of time. Not trusting his voice to make it through the full speech, he flipped the switch for the automatic, pre-recorded safety message and sat down in the seat behind him, allowing his shaky legs to rest. He took a deep breath to try to steady himself before he had to go back out.

He's just a stranger. I'm just me. There was no reason for him to want to change his flight just for me. He was mortified that he even considered Blaine would want to see him again, even if it were just for a five hour flight to LA and back. He felt stupid for allowing Blaine to become so heavily engraved into every thought he'd had the past weekend. Blaine had just been a flirty passenger who felt the need to be exceptionally kind to Kurt after nearly knocking him into the wall. Kurt didn't know why he had gotten so caught up on Blaine. He'd never needed someone in his life before, even when he had a man who actually wanted to be there by his side through everything. He had always been happy living alone and following his own schedule without having to worry about someone else, so why did he feel sick to his stomach over losing something he never even had in the first place.

When he heard the speakers go silent, he slowly stood up and pushed the curtain aside, stepping out into the isle to go through all of the necessary precautions. He was almost to the back again when a deep voice broke through the silence. He turned around and was immediately face to face with the bitter man from before. The minute the man recognized him, he smirked at Kurt and broke eye contact. "I'd like my coffee again. This time, please bring it a tad quicker than you managed to the other day." He pulled out a newspaper out of his briefcase and began to read it, waiting for Kurt to walk away.

"Great," Kurt mumbled, not caring if the man heard him or not. I don't get Blaine, but I get this man again. He made his way towards the back, mentally preparing himself for what he believed would be one of the worst flights of his life.

The next couple of days were proving to be some of the hardest Kurt had experienced since his high school days of constantly being slushied, turned down for every solo he wanted, being thrown into dumpsters, and shoved into lockers. He wasn't physically being hurt, of course, but the emotional pain he was going through was enough to bring his mind back to his past. He was emotionally distraught in high school as well—first crushing on his straight classmate who later turned out to be his brother, and then going through a series of undesirable events such as his father landing in the hospital after a heart attack and being verbally abused by McKinley High's hefty football player. High school wasn't a time he liked to look back on. It was a time he'd tried to move past and forget, and for the most part, it was working. He had a great job and lived in a city with acceptance. It was everything he'd wanted for his life, if not more.

However, Kurt couldn't help but to think about what had happened in the past. He knew those days were over, and he was finally able to be himself without the threat of being beat up, or even worse, killed. Kurt knew he was physically safer in the city that never slept, but he suddenly felt like he wasn't emotionally safer. Seeing Blaine, getting so involved with the idea of Blaine, made him realize that he was missing out on experiences he thought he didn't even want. He was missing out on dating while he was young; while life was still care-free and he didn't have to worry as much about being a responsible adult. He was aware that he was growing up and growing up quick, but he still held on to the hope that he'd be able to at least fulfill some of the events on his bucket list before he was too old to do so. He wanted to experience life while he was young, yet he'd been closing himself off from experiencing it with someone else. Someone who mattered to him.

Kurt knew he had to move on past Blaine. Was he attracted to Blaine? Yes. Had he been imagining a life with Blaine? Yes. But Kurt knew that a life with Blaine just wasn't in his future. Although he couldn't be with Blaine and the two of them couldn't grow old together, meeting Blaine had helped him to realize that he actually did want someone in his life. He wanted someone to come home to, someone to take out to the movies or a nice dinner, or just someone to take a walk with. Kurt simply wanted a boyfriend. His problem, though, came with where he had always picked up a guy. He always settled for what was easy, not what would give him a quality man. What was easy was picking up a guy at a gay bar who was already half drunk, getting a couple more drinks in him, and then taking him home, knowing the guy would hardly remember the night come morning. He was never sexually involved with any of them men he'd met, partially because they tended to pass out as soon as they made it home, though that wasn't always the reason Kurt had put a stop to any advances they may have made. Every time one of them would lean in for a kiss or their hands would wander to uncomfortable territory, Kurt's dad popped into the back of his mind. He'd remember the conversation he had with his dad during his junior year of high school. He didn't want his first time with a guy to be a one night stand. Call him a silly romantic, but he wanted it to mean something. He didn't want to have sex. He wanted to make love.

Due to the lack of serious relationships in Kurt's life, he found it difficult to approach a sober man, always afraid of being rejected when he couldn't hide behind a mask of alcohol. There was a reason he'd never been in a relationship. He was socially awkward at the most inconvenient times and as soon as he'd get the courage to make a move, he'd back out. On multiple occasions, he'd tried convincing himself that it just wasn't the right time in his life or the right person. When the right man came along, he would just know. He would want something more than one night with the person. He would want something like what he could picture with Blaine.

Kurt could picture a future with Blaine. That was predictable and what he expected to see running through his mind. What he didn't expect to see was the man he'd crashed into as he turned the corner that following Friday morning, sending his cup of coffee in the air and his bag to the ground.

"Oh. Excuse me. I'm so-" Kurt heard a familiar voice and immediately looked up, just as a pair of warm, hazel eyes gazed into his. Once again, Kurt found himself lost in the swirl of caramel before finally snapping out of the trance he was in. "Kurt." Blaine muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, but so velvety that Kurt immediately felt like he could melt into a puddle at any given moment. "Hi." He exhaled before showing the slightest hint of a smile.

"H-Hi," Kurt stuttered, still in shock over seeing Blaine again just when he'd convinced himself he never would. "You remembered my name." He could feel his cheeks start to flush and immediately looked down at his coffee-stained sleeve. Blaine followed his gaze and walked a few feet to retrieve a handful of napkins before returning to Kurt's side.

"Mind if I…" he trailed off, gesturing to Kurt's sleeve.

"N-no." Kurt cursed himself for not being able to form a full, coherent sentence. Any rational thought he had immediately disappeared as Blaine gently took Kurt's hand in his, pulling his arm closer and dabbing at the navy blue sleeve with his free hand. He could feel Blaine's blood pounding through the veins in his hand as they rested against Kurt's palm and his warm skin felt like satin against Kurt's. It took everything he had not to curve his fingers around Blaine's hand any further and give it a tight squeeze. Blaine let the coffee soak a bit before lifting the napkin up, making a point not to rub anything in.

"There. All better," he said, tossing the coffee-soaked napkins into the trashcan.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing. You get used to it after flying for so long. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've had a coffee mishap due to the terrible turbulence on the plane," he laughed. "Besides, it was kind of my fault your coffee ended up all over you in the first place."

"It wasn't your fault. I wasn't watching where I was going. Maybe I should start paying more attention to my surroundings and not so much the thoughts screaming at me inside my head."

"What were you thinking about that had you so distracted from reality?"

You.

"Just…work, mainly. Thinking about what I have to get done in a few minutes," he lied.

"Do you need to go right now, or can I buy you another coffee?" Blaine looked hopeful as he suggested spending more time with the adorable flight attendant, and Kurt almost thought he could sense that Blaine wanted to talk to him more, not that he was just being polite after nearly knocking him over for a second time.

Kurt looked away shyly before turning his focus back to Blaine. "I have a few minutes, but you really don't have to buy me another coffee. I can get free coffee on the plane anyway."

"I want to." Blaine smiled and picked up Kurt's bag before walking past him. "You coming?" he asked, pausing to look back at the boy he was waiting on, hoping he'd follow him to the coffee stand.

"You know, you should really work on where you're going, Mr. Anderson. That's the second time you've smacked into me," Kurt joked when he caught up to Blaine. He actually surprised himself when the words flowed so easily out of his mouth. Was he really flirting with Blaine? The same Blaine he'd spent the past week thinking about?

"You remembered my name too, I see," Blaine pointed out.

"Of course. I had to for liability purposes. If I had been severely injured, I was going to have my lawyer get in contact with you." Kurt reached out for his bag, but Blaine pulled his hand farther away, just out of Kurt's reach.

"I'll have you know that I'm not usually this bad about colliding with people. Something must be forcing us together, Kurt. What could that possibly be?"

Kurt was silent, not knowing how to answer Blaine's shamelessly flirty question. "I think you're just a klutz," he finally replied, "and you just don't want me to think you are. You'd rather I believe you're some super poised businessman, but you already blew your cover, Blaine. I've caught you now."

They finally reached the coffee stand, taking note of the long line. Blaine hesitantly turned to Kurt and asked, "Is this line too long? I don't know when you need to get back, but this will probably take at least twenty minutes to get through."

"I'm fine. I have plenty of time. I show up to work early for a reason." He stepped into line behind a plump old lady with two small children, most likely her grandchildren. The young girl was tugging on her purse, begging for attention as her blonde curls bounced up and down, while the little boy was spinning in circles as the lady tried to get him to calm down and move closer to her.

"For the record, I could never forget your name, Mr. Kurt Hummel, steward of flight 740 to Los Angeles, California," Blaine interrupted Kurt's focus on the family before him.

"O-Oh?" he inquired.

"Um, I know this may seem creepy, but…." He trailed off and turned his gaze towards the trio Kurt had been starting at. "I've actually been thinking about you this past week."

Kurt's heart sped up in his chest, beating so fast he felt like it was going to take off without him. Blaine had just admitted that he'd been thinking about Kurt, and even if it wasn't as much as Kurt was thinking about him, he was still happy. Some part of him felt relieved that he may not have made up the entire attraction between the two of them in his head after all.

"Kurt?" Blaine waved a hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention.

"What? Oh. S-sorry," Kurt apologized.

"Gosh, no. I'm sorry. Crap. I shouldn't have told you that. You probably think I'm some psycho stalker and now I'm going to show up on the same flight as you because I switched my flight times and it's going to be awkward and you're eventually going to ask for a restraining order and now you probably think I'm into you and you're probably not even gay and-"

"Blaine!" Kurt cut him off as he placed a hand on his upper arm, forcing Blaine to turn towards him. "You're rambling." One little laugh out of Kurt's mouth was all it took for him to feel Blaine relax beneath his touch. "For the record, I've been thinking about you too. And I am gay, Blaine. I thought at least that much was obvious."

"Oh." Now it was Blaine's turn to be at a loss for words.

"Did you really change your flight times?" Kurt questioned as they moved forward in line.

"Um, yeah. Sorry if that is weird. I just mentioned it and you seemed all for it. Gosh, I'm probably messing everything up," Blaine looked away again, but not before Kurt could see his pink cheeks.

"It's not weird, Blaine. I'm-I'm glad. But…why weren't you on the plane last Monday?"

"I wasn't able to get my flight changed in time. Believe me when I say I tried as harder than I ever have. I did everything I could, but they were booked and I wasn't able to obtain a ticket."

"Well, you certainly know how to surprise me, you know. Here I was all week thinking I made everything up in my head and you were just being flirty, not actually wanting to have such an amazing flight attendant as moi."

Blaine chuckled. "And what makes you think you were better than any of my previous flight attendants?"

"Because I'm more attractive than them, I have a much better personality, and if you get on my good side, I can sneak you an extra cookie or two," he winked.

"I'll have to keep that in mind. Tell me, am I on your good side right now? Can I get an extra cookie on this next flight?"

"I can't make any promises. I don't know you that well yet, Blaine. We'll just have to see how well you impress me during these next five minutes." They approached the front of the line and Kurt turned to the girl behind the counter, missing the look on Blaine's face as his mouth remained gaping open. "I'll have the grande non-fat mocha, please."

"Is that all for you?" the lady asked as she wrote Kurt's order on the side of a cup with a black sharpie.

"Um, no." Blaine cut in, moving closer to the counter and incidentally, also closer to Kurt's side. Kurt didn't miss the way Blaine's arm subtly brushed against his own and the smell of his cologne on his dry-cleaned suit. "It's on me. I'll have a medium drip, please."

The girl placed the two cups on the counter beside her before ringing up their order. "That will be $8.25." Blaine pulled out a few bills and a quarter and handed them to her before moving off to the side. Kurt followed and sat down at the small table closest to the counter.

"Thank you. You really didn't have to buy me another coffee."

"Hey, if I'm going to get that extra cookie, I need to do everything I can to make you believe I deserve it." He pulled out a chair and sat down across from Kurt.

"Oh, I think you've already earned yourself that extra cookie just by being your charming self."

"You think I'm charming?" Blaine grinned. "Like, as in, Prince Charming?"

Kurt buried his face in his hands. "Please tell me you're not some twenty…." He drew out the last word

"Six," Blaine supplied.

"Twenty-six year old man who's addicted to Disney movies."

"They're classics, Kurt. How could you not like them? I mean, Prince Charming is attractive even in cartoon form, the music is greater than anything you'll hear on the radio now days, and don't even get me started on how much I cry every time I watch Bambi."

"How bad do you want that cookie, Blaine?" Kurt asked in a dull voice, though clearly amused by Blaine's slight obsession with Disney.

"My mouth is shut." Blaine made the motion of locking his mouth and throwing an imaginary key over his shoulder as their orders were placed on the counter.

"I've got them," Kurt offered, standing up and quickly retrieving their drinks before sitting back down.

"Thank you," Blaine said as Kurt handed him a cup. "So, Kurt, tell me something about yourself. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-six as well."

"Good. This is going well."

"Is it?" Kurt laughed.

"Yes, it is. So, Kurt, twenty-six year old flight attendant of New York, when do you have to return to your job?" Blaine stirred a packet of sugar into his coffee before licking the stick and placing the lid back on.

Kurt checked his watch. "Actually, I should probably head back now. And you probably need to go through security pretty soon so you can get everything checked in." He stood up, extending his hand out to Blaine. "This was nice, though. Thank you."

Blaine took Kurt's hand. "You're welcome. I had a good time, even if it was too short for my preference." They held hands a few seconds longer than needed, staring into each other's eyes as if everything going unsaid was being transferred between them before Kurt released Blaine's hand and returned his arm to his side.

"I'll see you on the plane?" Kurt picked up his bag and threw the strap over his shoulder.

"Yes, you will."

Kurt smiled at Blaine once more before turning around and walking away. He was suddenly much more excited about the upcoming flight than he'd been an hour earlier.

It shouldn't have been a shock to Kurt that Blaine was the first passenger to step foot onto the plane, but he was pleasantly surprised nonetheless. He brought with him a black, leather briefcase and had taken off his suit jacket and slung it over his arm in the time since Kurt had left him. For the first time, Kurt was able to see just how toned Blaine really was. The sleeves of his baby blue button up shirt fit snugly around the contour of the muscles in his upper arms and Kurt found himself paying a little too much attention to the attractive man before him. He cleared his throat before eagerly putting on a smile. "Hello. Welcome aboard," he said professionally, moving aside to make room for Blaine to squeeze by him. "Do you need help finding your seat?"

Blaine grinned and looked down at his ticket, pretending to be confused. Kurt knew there was no way he would have any problem finding his seat, seeing as he was basically a pro at flying, but went through the customary questions anyway. Blaine scrunched his nose up a bit in a way the Kurt found quite cute, cuter than he normally would on anyone above the age of six. "Actually, I think I might. I'm new to this flight. Usually I fly at a later time, but you see, there were some problems with my other flight. Would you mind helping me find my seat?"

Blaine flashed a smile at Kurt and Kurt moved closer, glancing over his shoulder as if he were checking to see which seat the ticket belonged to. To keep up the pretense that he was in fact helping his first passenger out, he reached around and grabbed the ticket from his hand, not missing the slight touch between their fingers as Blaine handed over the slip of paper. "Seat 16A. That's near the back. Just follow me and we'll get you settled in." He took a step away from Blaine and it wasn't long until the businessman began to follow him down the aisle towards the back of the cabin. Kurt stopped in the second to last row and moved aside to allow Blaine to slide into the seat. "Here we are. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Blaine swallowed the words that wanted to come out of his mouth and instead, muttered a simple "Thank you." He sat down in the semi-comfortable chair and placed his briefcase on his lap. "This will be all."

Kurt tried to hide his disappointment, but new Blaine was just trying to be professional about the entire situation. He knew it would be a bad idea if either of their bosses realized they knew each other outside of work, especially if they had gone so far as flirting on their coffee date. Was it a date? They went because they wanted to. They flirted a little. They got to know each other. Blaine paid, even if he insisted it was just because he'd spilt Kurt's first cup. It kind of seemed like a date. Kurt turned his thoughts back to the job he was supposed to be doing. "Can I put your carry-on up for you, or do you need it?"

Blaine did need his briefcase if he planned on getting any work done during the nearly six hour flight to L.A., but he nodded and handed it over anyway, knowing that when he did need it again, Kurt would have reason to come back to help him out. Blaine looked to his side when Kurt lifted the bag into the overhead compartment and noticed the little patch of pale skin that emerged at Kurt's waist as he stretched his arms high over his head. He tore his focus away from the boy before he was caught and Kurt soon lowered his hands again, placing his left hand on the seat in front of Blaine.

Blaine and Kurt both felt nervous, not sure exactly how to act around one another or what to say. Kurt had tried coming up with something that wouldn't seem too forward or flirty, but every time he looked at Blaine, all he could think about was how much he liked him. "Kurt," Blaine started, but paused when he heard hushed murmurs coming from behind Kurt. He sighed before pointing and Kurt spun around to look at the passengers that were beginning to board. "I guess you should do your job now."

Kurt gave him a warm smile, deciding to be risky and place a hand on top of the one Blaine was resting in his lap. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" Blaine couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped through his lips. "It's my job," Kurt clarified.

"Mhm." Blaine didn't buy it. "Well, then go do your job. I'm not going anywhere, Sir, and I would like my coffee as soon as possible," he joked, acting like one of the many needy and demanding passengers Kurt despised. "I was also promised a few cookies."

Kurt rolled his eyes before removing his hand and fixing his jacket. "I'll have to have a word with whoever promised you. We aren't supposed to give out more than one to each passenger."

"Go do your job, Mr. Hummel." Blaine turned away and grabbed the newspaper in front of him, opening it up to begin reading the arts section as if he no longer wanted to be in Kurt's presence. After staring at Blaine for a few minutes, Kurt turned around and gave the attention needed to the oncoming passengers, politely welcoming them to the flight and helping them out when the occasional person asked for help. A few times he'd glance back at Blaine, finding him studying the newspaper intently, noticing how his brow furrowed when, Kurt assumed, he read something he disagreed with. Blaine didn't look up at him once during the entire fifteen minutes, at least not to Kurt's knowledge, but he found Blaine's deep concentration to be a desirable characteristic.

The flight took off at its usual time, 7:35 AM, and everything had been going smoothly. Kurt remained at the back of the cabin for the majority of the time, occasionally making his way down the aisle to mak

e sure everyone was satisfied with the flight. When he would reach Blaine, he'd simply smile and ask if there was anything he needed, in which Blaine would reply with a quiet "no" before mirroring the smile spread across Kurt's face.

It was around 8:15 when Kurt decided he had made Blaine wait long enough for his cookie—or two—and slowly wheeled the cart out of the back of the plane and into the cabin full of eager passengers. Blaine turned around when he heard the creaky wheels of the metal cart and his face lit up when he noticed the tray of cookies on top. Kurt rolled his eyes when Blaine made eye contact and handed the last row of passengers their cookie before approaching Blaine.

"Hello, Sir. May I offer you a cookie today?" Kurt asked as he placed a cookie on a small, paper plate.

"Yes, please," Blaine replied as he watched Kurt place an extra cookie on top.

"Here. I give my favorite passengers an extra little treat. Don't tell the others. They'll be jealous." Kurt passed the plate to Blaine and pushed the cart slightly forward.

"Well, thank you, Sir. I appreciate it." Blaine grinned as he bit into one of the cookies. "Mmm. You make these?" he asked with his mouth still full.

"Not big on manners are we, Mr. Businessman?" Kurt joked.

Blaine swallowed before answering. "Sorry. Normally I am. Cookies are my weakness."

"I'll have to keep that in mind. And sorry to disappoint you, but, no. I didn't make these."

"Can you cook?" Blaine asked.

"Maybe you'll find out someday." Before Blaine had time to make any sort of snappy comeback, a passenger behind Kurt cleared her throat and asked for a cookie. Kurt reluctantly turned away from Blaine and attended to the rest of the passengers.

The next few hours went by too fast for Kurt's liking. He was able to have a few short interactions with Blaine, but was careful not to draw their conversation out any more than necessary in case someone were to become suspicious. Before he knew it, he was ushering each person out of the plane, thanking them for choosing American Airlines. Kurt looked up to see his last passenger making his way towards the front of the plane.

"Thank you for flying with me." Kurt altered his wording slightly. "I hope you'll choose American Airlines again."

"I think I will." Blaine stuck his hand out to shake Kurt's. As Kurt's palm met Blaine's, he felt a small slip of paper preventing their skin from touching. As Blaine let go, he slipped the paper into Kurt's palm, smiling and walking out of the plane. Kurt watched him walk away, and as soon as he was out of sight, he looked down at the paper in his hands and began to unfold it. He saw two words written neatly on the paper, followed by 10 numbers.

Call Me.