Blaine pretty much freezes the second he feels Kurt’s lips on his.� He stands up a bit straighter, tries to bring his hands up to Kurt’s shoulders in a panic, but Kurt just slides a hand up to cup his cheek.� The touch is gentle, his thumb almost caressing across the length of Blaine’s high cheekbones, because he doesn’t want to scare this boy away.

Some small voice in the back of Kurt’s mind tells him that maybe he’s already done that by moving to kiss him, but he really hopes not.� He knows it was a bold move, and he knows it was incredibly forward.� Of course he does.� But that doesn’t change the fact that the way he feels, the desire to kiss Blaine and to be there with him – to hear the tiny whimper of surprise that dies in the back of his throat when Kurt kisses him – is very, very real.

At the very least, Blaine doesn’t seem to be shoving him away.� In fact, once the initial panic subsides, he tilts his head to follow the curve of Kurt’s lips, chasing after them when he tries to pull back.� Both of his lips settle over Kurt’s lower one, and Kurt has to bite back a groan at how well they seem to slot together.� In his line of work, he’s heard so many women wax poetic about how their relationship was love at first sight, how they just knew that the person they met was going to be ‘the one.’

Well, Kurt doesn’t know if Blaine is ‘the one,’ but he’s fairly certain he could kiss him forever.

Especially if he would keep doing that thing with his tongue.

They pull apart to breathe for a moment, and Blaine is staring up at him with wide eyes, his chest heaving a bit with the effort it takes to pull in a breath – and oh yeah, they probably should’ve broken for air a while ago, now that Kurt thinks about it.� He’s not exactly breathing evenly himself.

Blaine clears his throat, but he never breaks eye contact with Kurt when he asks, “Wh-what was that?”

Kurt swallows thickly and hopes that, now that the moment is over, Blaine isn’t having second thoughts.� “A kiss, last time I checked,” he replies, mentally kicking himself a bit for just how far gone and how breathless his voice has become.

“But… but why?” Blaine stammers, shaking his head a bit as he takes a step back.� Kurt’s heart drops into the pit of his stomach.

“Because I – I wanted to.� And I thought that – oh god, did I read that completely wrong?� God, Blaine, I’m so sor-“

Blaine settles a finger over Kurt’s lips, and Kurt is pleasantly surprised to see that those lips (those perfect, kiss-bitten, slick, slightly swollen, gorgeous) lips are curved up into a bit of a smile.� “You didn’t read that wrong,” he says, and Kurt lets out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding back.� “I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment you first walked out to us.� I didn’t figure I would get the chance, though.� I just – I don’t understand.� Why me?� I mean, look at you,” he says, gesturing to the long length of Kurt in front of him.� “You’re gorgeous.� You look like you could have anyone you want.”

Kurt chuckles, shaking his head a bit.� “I’m really not.� That – that attractive, I mean.”

With a roll of his eyes, Blaine takes a step forward, returning to his original position slotted in close to Kurt.� “Are you kidding me, Kurt?� You’re beautiful,” he says, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind is ear, and Kurt’s stomach flutters ridiculously, because he had just been wanting to do that to him.� “Any guy would be lucky to have you.� You’re all long lines and perfect angles and I’m… I’m just going to stop now,” he says, ducking his head as a flush crawls up his neck towards his ears.

Kurt takes a moment – just a quick one, really – to give a small, internal scream at how cute Blaine is and how after such a short time together, he seems to have a dangerous effect on the state of his heart.� Then he slips two of his fingers under Blaine’s chin, pushing up gently until their eyes meet again.

“You don’t have to stop,” he says, then tilts his head down and presses their lips together again.

The kiss is soft at first, a bit hesitant as he waits to see if Blaine will respond as eagerly as last time, but it’s Blaine who pushes it further this time.� It’s Blaine who slides his tongue across the tender flesh of Kurt’s lower lip, a silent plea for permission to enter, and Kurt readily gives it to him.� He sighs, letting his jaw drop open, and pushes himself even closer into Blaine’s space, arms circling around his neck.

Blaine is just sliding his hands down to Kurt’s waist to pull him in closer when it suddenly becomes clear to both of them that they aren’t alone.

“Kurt?� Are you in here?”� Ashley’s voice rings out loud and clear in the quiet stock room, and the two boys spring apart, their faces bright red.

“Oh my god,” Kurt whispers, quickly reaching out to adjust the now-rumpled collar of Blaine’s shirt.� “She can’t leave me alone for a second, can she?”

The click-click-click of her heels comes closer, and Kurt gestures to Blaine to stay there and not make a sound before he quickly ducks out of the dress rack and back into the aisle.� He’s just managing to get his hands on the rack that has both his and Blaine’s picks for Rachel on it when she rounds the corner towards him.

“Kurt, there you are!” she says, her face not nearly as happy as it was when she was questioning him earlier.� “Your bride is starting to ask what’s taking so long.� Apparently you’ve been away from her for a while.”

He nods a bit, hoping the color in his face has drained a bit, that it isn’t incredibly obvious that he’s spent the last – oh god, a glance down at his watch says it’s been twenty minutes now that he’s been making out with Blaine, not including the ten that they’d been talking and searching for dresses beforehand.� “Yes, well – like you said, she’s a tough one.”

Ashley cocks her head at him, her eyes narrowing a bit.� “I thought you said she wasn’t difficult?”

“I guess I was wrong,” he says, as nonchalantly as possible.� “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I finally have two choices here to take to her, and I’m pretty sure one will be the one.”

The woman raises her hand like she’s about to protest again (which has Kurt rolling his eyes internally, because really, she’s not even his boss – she’s just the interim director while their usual is out touring), but thankfully another consultant ducks her head around the aisle.

“Ashley, thank god.� I’ve been looking for you everywhere.� I can’t find this Lazaro piece that I’m sure was right here yesterday.� Can you help me out?”

She nods, but gives Kurt one last look before she leaves, heels clicking hurriedly down the next aisle as she disappears.� Kurt exhales and visibly slumps back against the rack, his heart racing.

“Okay, Blaine.� You can come out now,” he says, his voice still soft.

Blaine pushes through the dresses a moment later, an eyebrow raised playfully.� “Rachel’s a tough one, hm?”

Kurt just groans.� “You have no idea.”� He grabs ahold of the wheeled rack with the two dresses on it and starts pushing it towards the exit of the room when Blaine grabs his wrist, stilling him.

Before he can ask why, Blaine is kissing him again – just a quick, stolen press of the lips, but it makes his heart race.� “Oh, I think I do,” he teases, settling his hand low in the small of Kurt’s back as they begin walking again, and Kurt hopes that he can’t feel how high his pulse is from there.

It’s remarkable the change in Blaine that’s taken place since they first entered the stock room.� The withdrawn, shy, hurt boy is hardly to be found now.� Once he realized that Kurt obviously returned his feelings, it’s like someone gave him a shot of confidence.� And as much as Kurt secretly kind of liked getting to help make Blaine feel better, he kind of adores this side of him too.

But at the same time, they absolutely cannot walk out of the room like this, so he reluctantly turns to Blaine to tell him so.

“You can’t tell anyone about this,” he says, hating that he has to say it in the first place.� “I could lose my job, like I said earlier, for being unprofessional.� So that unfortunately means you have to let me go.”

Blaine’s face falls a bit, but he does as he’s told, dropping his hand back down to his side.� “What about Rachel?”

Kurt bites his lip.� “Not yet.� You can’t tell her – not until she isn’t my customer anymore.� I can’t risk her reporting me, or someone overhearing her talking about it, or – or anything like that.”� Blaine stiffens, and Kurt knows that what he’s said has sunk in.

“But she’ll be your customer for six to eight months,” he says, his eyes a bit downcast.� “So we can’t-“

“We can’t,” Kurt echoes.� “At least – not yet.� Not now, and not here.� But – but Blaine, listen to me!� I really want to.� I do, I just-“

Blaine shakes his head.� “No.� No, it’s fine.� I understand.� I’ll – I’m just going to go sit back out with my family, okay?� You go help my sister.� After all, that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

And then he leaves, and Kurt just watches him go, wondering how on earth that all fell apart so quickly.