“Kurt, we’ve always been honest with each other, right? Even when it’s not easy?”

Kurt blushed. “Um, it’s okay if you don’t want to come in.”

“No, I do, but that’s not what I meant. I want to tell you something.” Blaine took a deep breath. “I want you to know that you don’t ever have to...exaggerate...to make me feel better. You can always tell me what you really think.”

“I really do think you’re going to get that job at Six Flags.” Kurt reached over and gave Blaine’s arm a little squeeze. “Your audition is going to be great, because you are amazing.”

Blaine hadn’t been fishing for compliments, but he wasn’t going to throw one back. “Thanks, Kurt,” he said. “I appreciate that. But that’s not what I meant either. What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier.”

Kurt just looked at him. Sometimes his face was so easy for Blaine to read, but other times, like now, it told him nothing. It was a perfect porcelain mask that betrayed no emotion. Was he angry? Sad? Embarrassed? The only hint was Kurt’s slightly raised eyebrows. He was attentive, he was listening, but Blaine had no idea what he was thinking.

“I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that,” Blaine said, desperate to fill the silence. “I didn’t stop to think about how it would make you feel. I wasn’t trying to push you.”

“Blaine,” Kurt said at last. “I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”

So much for subtlety, Blaine thought. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to say that you love me if you don’t mean it.”

Incredibly, Kurt’s face still gave nothing away. “Why do you think I didn’t mean it?”

Blaine could think of a lot of reasons why Kurt wouldn’t love him. Too many reasons. Should he try to guess? I’m too selfish. I’m too stupid. I’m too short. You’ve been to New York now and you’ve realized that you can do better than me. No, it was probably best to take the question literally and stick with the facts.

“Well, after I said that I loved you, you just sort of sat there. Then when you finally said it back I could tell you felt weird about it.”

“I was drinking!”

Now it was Blaine’s turn to just look at Kurt. He had spent the past two hours silently convincing himself that he could deal with this. They were young. They’d only been dating for a couple of months. He couldn’t expect Kurt to be sure of his own feelings yet. Neither of them had ever even had a boyfriend before. Blaine had thought he was being very reasonable and mature about the whole thing. Had he actually been jumping to conclusions? It wouldn’t be the first time.

“I had a mouth full of hot coffee, and out of nowhere you say you love me,” Kurt continued. “I could have choked to death.”

Blaine bit his lip to keep from smiling, because it wasn’t right to smile when your boyfriend was talking about his own death. Still, he had never been happier to be wrong. He wanted to say “I love you” again, he wanted to hear Kurt say it back to him with no hot beverage induced hesitation, but he didn’t want to come across as too needy.

Besides, Blaine knew banter when he heard it. “I don’t think you would have choked to death,” he replied with mock seriousness. “You probably could have managed to cough it up.”

“That’s almost as bad! I’d never get the stains out of this coat!”

“Yes, I noticed you were wearing white...a week before Memorial Day.” Blaine shook his head. “I must say I’m surprised, and a little disappointed.”

“Don’t be so bourgeois, Blaine,” Kurt said. “That rule is completely outdated.”

“Bourgeois? Moi? You wound me.”

“Anyway, this coat is clearly winter white.”

“Oh? Let’s see about that.” He took Kurt’s hand in his and bent over it, looking closely at the sleeve of his coat. Blaine of course knew perfectly well the coat was winter white, he wasn’t blind, but he made a show of rubbing the fabric between his fingers and squinting in concentration. Finally Blaine looked up at Kurt and said “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Kurt’s mouth twitched. “I wouldn’t tell you something that wasn’t true. You should know that.”

“Please consider me most duly chastened.” Blaine lifted Kurt’s hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

“Just be sure you don’t do it again.” Kurt’s eyes were sparkling. Blaine had once thought that sparkling eyes were merely a figure of speech, but he could swear that there were times when Kurt’s eyes literally reflected additional light. “Now are you coming inside, or are we going to stay out here and shock the neighbors?”

This time Blaine didn’t even try to hide his smile.