Chapter 7: The Date

Kurt had been afraid things might be awkward on the date, especially on the drive there, but he was happy to be proven wrong. Almost all the nerves he had before were calmed by Blaine's presence. With Blaine, everything was just...easier. There were no awkward silences or lulls in conversation and everything just seemed natural, as if he and Blaine had known each other for years, but it was exciting and new, too. The drive hadn't been completely devoid of awkwardness—this was real life, after all—but it had passed quickly. After Blaine got in the car and started the engine, there was a heavy silence, pierced only by the noise of the car as they drove.

"So," Blaine said, "are you nervous, or is it just me?"

Kurt sighed in relief and the tension the silence had brought melted as swiftly as it had arrived. "Yes, I am. It isn't just you."

"Okay, good. That's good to know. I'd like to think that I'm usually much more eloquent and much less...well, much less of a nervous wreck, like I am right now. I just really want this to be perfect for you."

"It's a first date, Blaine. It's not going to be perfect. A perfect first date would be unnatural. I'm sure it will be nice, though, at the very least, and will, hopefully, be great."

Blaine beamed. "You are amazing, Kurt. I'm so glad you agreed to this."

"I'm glad you asked me." 

"And, once again, I apologize for the nerves. It's just that I know that, no matter what we do or where we go, I will be happy with it because I'll be with you, but I'm just scared you won't like what I have planned. I don't want to be a disappointment. You deserve the very best, Kurt, and I'm freaking out trying to provide that for you."

Kurt looked across the car at Blaine in complete awe. How was he real? Kurt smiled. "That is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me," he said. "I already have the best, because I have you. You're the best, Blaine. So let's both just stop worrying and have a great date."

Blaine looked briefly over at Kurt before turning back to face the road. "You're the best, too, Kurt. And that sounds like an excellent idea."

The remainder of the drive from Kurt's house to the mystery location passed rapidly. They spent their time talking about the drama, people, and music of glee club, Kurt filling him in on all the events that had come to pass within the club since its beginning, as well as whatever else came to mind. A few minutes into the drive, Blaine gave Kurt his iPod to put on some music and serve as the official DJ for the rest of the way there. Kurt happily accepted and picked a song, singing along when it began to play.

At first hearing Kurt's voice, Blaine nearly crashed the car. He then pulled over and apologized, saying "I am so sorry, Kurt! All I want is to make this the best first date ever and I almost got us killed!" 

"What happened to scare you, though? Are you alright?" Kurt asked, confused.

"I'm fine, it's just....god, Kurt, your voice."

"What about it?" Kurt snapped sharply in reply. "Too girly for you?"

"No! No, no, goodness, no, Kurt. It's just so clear and special and gorgeous that I was surprised. I was in shock, sort of, I guess. I love your voice."

Kurt looked stunned by Blaine's outburst. "Oh," he said, simply.

"Oh?"

"I've just...no one has really said anything like that before. About my voice, I mean. I'm sorry I got so defensive, I'm just used to people teasing me about my it and how high and girly it is."

"Really?" Kurt nodded. Blaine shook his head in disbelief. "Well, they're just stupid, then, because your voice is without a doubt the most beautiful sound I have ever heard, Kurt."

Kurt met Blaine's eyes and was shocked at his sincerity. Blaine hadn't even said what he said as a compliment, but, rather, had spoken it as if it were a simple, obvious statement of fact. "Thank you," he mumbled, shyly.

"No thanks necessary."

After that, all their time in the car that they weren't talking, they were singing to whatever music Kurt chose to play, rifling through Blaine's music library that had songs ranging from Broadway to Katy Perry to Roxy music to play his favorites. Throughout the drive, Kurt tried desperately to pry their destination out of Blaine, but he gave up after a while because he could tell that Blaine obviously wouldn't budge. Kurt noticed that they were driving a somewhat roundabout route and was sure that Blaine was doing so to confuse him even more, so he resigned himself to his fate of being surprised. Now, they sat in comfortable silence, save for the radio playing softly as Blaine was driving and Kurt was letting his mind wander, trying to guess what the mystery location could be. They pulled to a stop, at last, at Schoonover Park. 

"Alright, we're here!" Blaine announced, getting out of the car and running to the other side to open Kurt's door for him. 

"Do you need help carrying anything? Food or a blanket or something?" 

"Nonsense! It's a date, you don't have to work!"

"It's hardly work, Blaine, let me help."

"I would, but I'm afraid it's too late. I set up a place for us earlier."

"But—"

"My brother insisted that he help in some way, so he kept an eye on it for a while."

"Blaine, please tell me your brother isn't chaperoning this date."

"He isn't, don't worry. He gave me his word that as soon as he saw us approaching, he would—and I quote—'vanish like a ninja into the night.'"

"Your brother sounds like an interesting guy, Blaine," Kurt said after a brief pause. "Weird, but interesting."

"He is. Enough about him, though. This is our date, after all." 

Our date. Kurt didn't think he'd ever get tired of hearing those words together in reference to Blaine and himself. He smiled. "It is, isn't it? Alright, let's go. Lead the way!"

Blaine grabbed his hand and Kurt's stomach flipped at the feel of Blaine's skin against his own. Blaine led them as they walked through the park toward the lake, and Kurt let out a gasp as they turned a corner, revealing the place Blaine set up. The park looked beautiful at night, the lush green grass leading down to the smooth lake that reflected the stars above, but tonight there was something special. By the lake, there was a kind of canopy-like thing adorned with a string of little white lights. Underneath the canopy lay several colored blankets and a few large, plush-looking pillows. In the middle of the setup sat a pretty wicker picnic basket. The final touch was the small collection of pretty paper lanterns that hung from the top of the canopy and shed light on the area. 

"Wow," said Kurt, slightly breathless. "You really don't do anything halfway, do you?"

"I really don't," Blaine confirmed. "So, what do you think? Are you going to slap me for surprising you?" he inquired with a smirk.

"Not this time, no," Kurt answered. "I suppose not all surprises are bad."

"Told you." Kurt stuck his tongue out and wrinkled his face up at Blaine. "Mature."

"Oh, shut up," Kurt said, face returning to normal as he chuckled. "But seriously, Blaine, this is incredible. I don't know how you're ever going to follow this up."

Blaine perked up, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Are you implying that I'll have the opportunity to follow this up?"

"We'll see."

"Well, I suppose that's preferable to a flat-out 'no,' so I'm still hopeful."

Blaine tugged lightly at Kurt's hand and led the way as they began walking together to the little paradise Blaine had set up for their date. Once they got there, they stopped and Blaine turned to Kurt. 

"Would you mind terribly if we removed our shoes? It's just that I don't want to get the blankets too dirty and it will be more comfortable. I promise my feet don't stink! I brought some fuzzy socks in case you don't want to be barefoot or its too cold. I realize they aren't the most fashionable things, but—"

"Blaine, breathe," Kurt interrupted. "It's fine. That was very thoughtful of you. I would like to take you up on your offer of fuzzy socks."

Kurt was somewhat surprised at his own answer. His shoes were fantastic and tied his entire outfit together and, in any other circumstance, Kurt would cling to them for dear life. Also, as comfortable as fuzzy socks may be, they didn't exactly enhance his artfully-assembled outfit. He knew that if the offer had come from anyone else, he would have refused, but it was such an adorable gesture and it was Blaine. It was Blaine, this sweet, wonderful, breathtaking boy that Kurt had known for less than a week but who Kurt felt so comfortable with. Kurt could already feel himself falling head over heels for Blaine and cursed himself for it because it was insane and Kurt didn't even know him and...yeah. Kurt was in trouble. Good trouble, but trouble. He would worry about that later, though. At the moment, he decided to focus entirely on his very first date.

Oblivious to Kurt's mental ramblings, Blaine let out a relieved sigh and smiled brightly upon hearing Kurt's reply. "Of course!" Blaine trotted over to a bag that was rested along a leg of what held up the canopy and dug around briefly. When he found what he was after, he trotted back to Kurt and held out two still-wrapped pairs of fuzzy socks—one blue and one red. "Pick one," he prompted. Kurt deliberated between the two shortly, then accepted the blue pair.

Once both boys changed into their fuzzy socks, they sat down on the blankets and pillows in front of the picnic basket. "So," Blaine began as he started to unpack the basket, "I don't know much about you, so I don't know what food you like, and I don't know anything about dating, so I don't know what people usually eat on dates, so I hope the meal I have for us tonight is to your liking. The only frame of reference I could think of for finding date-appropriate dining choices was Lady and the Tramp, so our main course this evening is spaghetti and meatballs. I have some strawberries for after that, too, because they taste good and that's all I was able to think of. Oh! And to drink, we have sparkling apple cider. Or, if you don't like that, there's also water."

Kurt couldn't believe this was real. Kurt couldn't believe Blaine was real. He was simply too adorable. He set up a plush canopy in the park by the lake under the stars, then offered fuzzy socks and revealed that he had used Lady and the Tramp as a frame of reference for planning their date. Kurt had to suppress the urge to giggle at the image that conjured in his mind of Blaine nudging a meatball across his plate. This didn't happen on first dates in real life. This had to be a dream. He was going to wake up, he thought, and then Blaine would take him to Breadstix or something, and they'd have a nice, normal time. But he was very much awake, and this perfect, sweet, lovely date was really happening and—

"Kurt?" asked Blaine. "Are you alright? Does that not sound good? We can do something else, if you want, I—"

Kurt clapped his hand gently over Blaine's mouth, effectively shutting him up. "It sounds great, Blaine. Thank you. Relax, okay?" Blaine nodded in response and Kurt removed his hand from Blaine's face. He settled into a comfortable position atop a large pillow as Blaine continued to unload the basket, listening to the soft chirps of the crickets and taking a deep breath as he waited, glancing briefly out across the peaceful water and admiring the way it reflected the moon. When he looked back at Blaine, Blaine was in the process of pouring the apple cider into what appeared to be champagne flutes. Kurt tried and failed to stifle his laughter at the champagne flutes because seriously? Finally giving up, Kurt burst into a full-on fit of giggles. 

"What's so funny?" Blaine said, cocking his head to the side, much like a curious puppy. How can a human being be that adorable? thought Kurt because, just when he thinks Blaine cant possibly be cuter, he is. Smiling—because it seemed he couldn't help but smile when he was with Blaine—he responded "Nothing, it's just...nothing. Nevermind. Please, continue."

"Nothing is ever 'nothing,' Kurt," he said, carefully setting the cider-filled champagne flutes down. "Now I need to know."

"Just forget I said anything."

"Pleeeeeeeeease?" begged Blaine, shamelessly, as he actually got down on his knees next to Kurt, looking at him pleadingly with the most adorable and irresistible puppy dog face in the history of time. 

"That's cheating!" Kurt exclaimed. "That face. That face is not fair."

"What?" Blaine asked with wide eyes and feigned innocence. "You mean this face?" He then—and Kurt didn't know how this was possible—amped up the strength and adorability of his puppy dog face and damn, Kurt couldn't help but cave in.

"Fine," Kurt relented. A pause. Crickets chirped. Blaine waited. Kurt took a deep breath. Then, at last, he answered. "I just think that—you—this—I...I just...I can't believe this is real." Kurt's confession was followed by a moment of silence. Suddenly, Blaine pinched Kurt, causing Kurt to puncture the silence with a high-pitched squeal, after which he turned and shot Blaine an incredulous look. 

"Believe it now?" asks Blaine, eyes alight with mischief.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I guess so." Both boys joined in laughter until Kurt took a breath, straightened his posture, and put on a haughty expression. "That face is still not fair, though," Kurt said, matter-of-factly, as he crossed his arms.

"All's fair in love and war, doll," Blaine quipped with a grin.

Kurt's eyes widened in shock. His jaw dropped. What. Even. How? But...what?  Upon seeing Kurt's expression and, subsequently, realizing exactly what he had said, Blaine's eyes widened and he smacked his hand over his mouth.

Both boys froze in position. A long, heavy silence fell. Finally, Kurt broke it.

"....did you just say that you love me?"