Kurt rolled his eyes as he slid out of Finn’s truck, rolling his eyes at his step brother’s ridiculous excitement. They had been out of school for two days, and Sam had invited Finn and Kurt to his lake house for a couple of days.

He reached back in for his messenger bag, retrieving the item and slinging it around his shoulder. He winced a little, the bag of course landing directly on one of the many bruises he had incurred over the course of this year. His sophomore year at McKinley had been brutal, to say the least, and Kurt couldn’t even fathom how happy he was to be spending two months away from that terrible place. It would definitely be enough time to heal his bruises, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to heal himself mentally by the time September came.

Frowning with the memory and his back stinging from the weight of his bag, Kurt turned around to take in the scene for the first time. Several things happened at once.
First, a ginormous horsefly, bigger than any bug he had ever seen, got right up in Kurt’s face, startling him and obscuring his vision for a second. Typical outdoors, Kurt thought to himself.

When the fly had finally ceased its antics in Kurt’s vision, he was able to take in the breathtaking scenery. It truly was remarkable .Sam’s cottage was quaint, a small log cabin house with a chimney that currently had a steady stream of smoke wafting out of it. There was a hammock tied between two trees, a picnic table filled with chips and sodas, several colorful Adirondack chairs centered around a fire, and a small beach. Sam’s family had a small dock, several kayaks on the beach, and an amazing view. You could see tens of other homes across the lake, boats zooming back and forth across the vast expanse of water, and a never ending mountain range in the distance. It was a paradise Kurt hadn’t even known existed.

If that wasn’t enough to take in, the boy standing next to Sam was the icing on top of the cake. Slightly shorter than his fellow glee club member, this boy had a head of dark curls, gorgeous eyes, and a crazily toned chest. His face was lit up in the biggest grin Kurt had ever seen, a smile that must have been filled with happiness that Kurt longed to understand. It didn’t seem to reach his eyes though, which seemed guarded, nervous even about the strangers that had just arrived. I wonder if my eyes look like that, Kurt wondered, recognizing a pain he felt himself in someone else’s eyes for one of the first times in his life.

His examination of this stranger was cut short when the two locked eyes; the boy’s face seemed to light up even more as a slight blush colored his cheeks. Kurt couldn’t stop himself from sending a smile right back.

“Bro, quit staring! You’re honestly so weird.” Finn clamped Kurt hard on his back, earning yet another eye roll.

“He’s just excited Finn, chill out,” Sam added as he approached and whacked Finn’s arm away. “So glad you decided to come Kurt!”

“Me too Sam, really, this looks amazing!” Kurt knew it was out of character, but he really couldn’t contain his excitement. This place was breathtaking, and Sam’s friend wasn’t so bad either.

“Oh, shit, I’m so rude.” Sam ushered the boy next to him forward. Speak of the devil, Kurt thought. “This is my cousin, Blaine. Blaine goes to Dalton Academy in Westerville. He’s too cool for us public school folk.” Blaine extended his hand, and Kurt subconsciously shook it. His hand was warm, his grip firm, and something about it made Kurt want to never let go.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kurt. You dress just as nicely as Finn said you did!” Blaine was still beaming; it seemed like that smile never left his face. He reached out and touched Kurt’s bag when their hands came apart. “Marc Jacobs…2009? Tell me I’m right?”

Kurt was helpless and had to smile back. He couldn’t hide that he was impressed. “Finally! Someone who can appreciate fashion! You are absolutely right Blaine.”

“Was Marc Jacobs the guy you bought the bag from on Ebay?” Finn scratched his head and Kurt smacked his forehead.

“This conversation needs to end before I lose my mind or attack my brother.” Kurt chuckled, and was surprised to see Blaine, still staring at him, giggling as well. “I assume we have a lot more of your camp to see, right Sam?”

“Kurt, trust me, you’ve seen nothing yet.”

The two started off towards the beach, Sam happily leading the way with Finn right on his heels. Blaine hung back a little, and reached out a hand for Kurt, which he hesitantly took. Play it cool Kurt, you can do this, Kurt thought.

Blaine glanced at him, smiling as always, but those eyes held something Kurt was unsure about, a past Kurt had yet to learn. Kurt pushed the idea to the back of his mind.
“Ready to see the coolest place in the world?” Blaine said cheerfully, attention fully focused on Kurt.

Kurt smiled, still unable to believe that he was holding hands with such a beautiful boy. “Of course, but only if you take me somewhere to get rid of my nice clothes first. These were not cheap whatsoever.”

Blaine laughed, reached for Kurt’s bag, and took it on his own shoulder. Kurt visibly brightened at the loss of this weight. This bag’s not that heavy, Blaine wondered, but filed the thought away for later. “Absolutey, Kurt.”

If there’s anytime for you to start getting over Karofsky Kurt, it’s now, Kurt thought, as Blaine pulled him into the house. You just have to be strong enough to open up.