"Oh my god, you saw? I'm so sorry, I've probably really creeped you out and I didn't mean to honestly" Kurt rambled, before pausing, noting the guy's raised eyebrow.

"Yes I did and I'm not at all creeped out. It was sweet" He smiled, once again offering Kurt the cup in his hand. "I'm Blaine"

"Kurt" Kurt grinned, taking the coffee. "You bought me coffee?"

"The least I could do for a stranger who decided to draw me. Now please can I see it?" Blaine sat down next to Kurt on the bench, nudging him in the ribs slightly.

Okay, this guy was forward for someone he'd just met but there was something special about him. Kurt couldn't stop himself, like he couldn't stop himself getting the sketch pad out in the first place.

"It's not very good; I drew it in the space of one song, which by the way was utterly gorgeous. Your voice is incredible" Kurt passed the sketch pad to Blaine, not meeting his eyes, looking down into the froth on the top of his coffee.

Blaine glanced down to the picture of himself on the pad before him. "Wow" he muttered breathlessly.

It was stunning, Blaine wasn't that fond of his appearance whether it was looking in the mirror or on camera but he had to admit, he looked good in this drawing! Kurt had perfected the shading of his hair, his clothes, even the tiny red heart sticker in the corner of his guitar.

"Kurt, this is gorgeous!" Blaine said in wonder, his eyes still scanning over himself on the paper.

"Oh please, it was done in five minutes" Kurt said politely, smiling at how much Blaine seemingly loved it.

"Seriously! I don't have much to compare it too, seeing as I've never been drawn before but this is one of the best things I have ever seen!" Blaine said, turning to Kurt, giving his arm a squeeze to show him he was being genuine.

"I...well, thank you" Kurt blushed a little. People had praised his work before but weirdly, it meant more coming from this complete stranger. They stared at each other for a moment before Blaine realised his hand was still on Kurt's forearm and he withdrew it awkwardly.

Blaine lifted the page on the sketch pad, asking for permission to look through Kurt's other drawings. Kurt nodded, taking a sip of the coffee Blaine had bought him – he hated looking through his sketches, they were just drawings he either never bothered to get published, half-finished or just of his family and friends.

Blaine flicked through the pages, there was a girl with sleek black hair standing alone on a stage with just a microphone, sketched obviously quickly but it was elaborate and beautiful. There were two men, both rather tall, both smiling, watching a game of football on TV oblivious to the fact they were being drawn. There were a few sketches with colour, some just by ink, some just with pen but they were all clearly Kurt's work, he had a certain fine art which made them uniquely his drawings.

"These are really gorgeous, you know? Are you an artist?" Blaine asked, handing the pad back to Kurt with a smile on his face.

"I am" Kurt answered proudly. "Or was. Shit" his voice trailing off as he remembered what he did beforehand.

"You alright?" Blaine asked, his voice suddenly filled with general concern, he remembered when he first saw Kurt, he'd been on the verge of crying.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine" Kurt said, with a wan smile but he was rubbing his hands together nervously.

"You sure? You want to tell a stranger about it?" Blaine asked, his voice becoming softer, he shuffled along the bench so he was nearer Kurt.

"I quit my job" Kurt said quietly, looking down.

"Oh" Blaine replied. "Did you want to?" he prompted, wanting Kurt to talk. Blaine knew from past experience letting it out was much better than keeping it in.

"Yes. But I shouldn't have done. Working there was the only place my art had ever been taken seriously for a short time anyway. I worked for the art department for a marketing company; we design the adverts and websites for other people. I got the job there a few months ago and my boss had been incredibly supportive and lovely and my work got published. But there was this girl. Her name was Katie and for some reason, she hated me right from the off. Every idea I had, she undermined it, she teased me and then this morning I found out she'd hacked my computer, stolen my design idea for the company's new logo and passed it off as her own"

"Bitch" Blaine muttered in reply, grinning as he noticed the corners of Kurt's mouth tug upwards slightly.

"Yeah she was. I had just had it with her. I couldn't work there any longer, she wasn't willing to say it was mine or apologise so I just walked out of there. But I had a job there, it was finally beginning to get me somewhere with art. I was earning a decent wage and believe me, I never normally give up or quit. I just couldn't stand it anymore"

"Well if you weren't happy there, then you did the right thing" Blaine offered.

"But I can't bring myself to call my family. My dad was happy I finally had a good job, I can't just tell him I quit. My roommate will try to get me back into acting and Broadway, which don't get me wrong I love it but art is my calling now and my brother will no doubt say something stupid that will make me feel really bad and ...." Kurt paused and turned to Blaine. "Oh my god, I'm rambling, I'm really sorry"

"Don't worry about it at all. I'm a good listener. Or so I've been told" Blaine smiled. He glanced down at his watch and realised if he didn't leave in about a minute, he was going to be late for his own job. "Look I'm really sorry, but I have to go to work. But I've loved meeting and talking to you today, and I would like to do it again sometime" Blaine said, standing up.

"Yeah, same here. Sorry for rambling about my job. And for drawing you with consent. I realise it's rather weird" Kurt replied, chuckling a little.

"I like weird" Blaine shrugged. "And the drawing was amazing, okay? Anyway, give me your hand"

"Why?" Kurt asked suspiously, tentatively lifting his arm up.

"So I can do this" Blaine winked, grabbing Kurt's hand and pulling the pen out of its holder on Kurt's sketchpad, leaning over Kurt which gave Kurt a rather good view of Blaine's butt. Blaine wrote his number down on Kurt's hand, signing it with a small smiley face and a 'B'.

Kurt smiled at the gesture. "You really are an incredible singer" he added softly.

"You really are an incredible artist" Blaine said, squeezing Kurt's hand briefly but firmly before dropping it. "Bye Kurt" Blaine grinned, walking away.

Kurt stared at the man walking away; confused by the feeling in his chest...it was his heart fluttering.

Three days later

"Rachel, the answer is no" Kurt said, rolling his eyes and turning his attention back to the TV – it was only a F.R.I.E.N.D.S re-run and Kurt had seen it a thousand times but this show was timeless. Besides, David Schwimmer had always been a guilty pleasure for Kurt.

"Kurt please" she whined, standing in front of the screen, her hands on her hips. For a tiny person, she sure got in the way a lot.

"Rachel no. I'm not going on a date with some guy you just met. This is only your first week at your new role and you're already trying to set me up with a co-worker" Kurt said, raising his hand and waving it to get her to move out the way.

She sighed and turned round, switching the TV off.

"Hey!" he exclaimed as the screen turned to black. "If I pretend to listen for five minutes, will you leave me in peace?"

"Yes" she replied curtly, sitting down next to him.

"Shoot" he said, closing his eyes and resting his head back onto the sofa.

"Right, his name is Adam, he's blonde, he's very sweet, he's playing Ambrose Kemper in the production, he's English" she said, her voice raising a little on the last sentence, she knew Kurt had a small (actually rather large) obsession with England.

"English and blonde?" he said, turning to look at her expectantly, an eyebrow raised in sarcasm despite him internally thinking this guy could be promising.

"He's really nice and I promised I help him find a date" she said, batting her eyelashes.

"Ms Berry, I am gay, fluttering your eyelashes is not going to work here" he replied dryly.

"Please, for me?" she said, shuffling nearer to him on the sofa, and wrapping her hand around his forearm.

Kurt sighed and admitted defeat. "Fine. One date. We will see where it goes. Just because he's English and for you"

"Yay! Thank you!" she leant forward and kissed his cheek with a loud smack, before rushing off to whatever Rachel Berry does.

Kurt glanced down at his hand, and rubbed the skin slowly – there was still a faint black ink phone number scratched on it. He'd texted Blaine a few times and they'd been chatting, by the sounds of it Blaine's job kept him pretty busy so they'd yet to meet up again. Kurt didn't want to admit it but he was falling for a guy he has met once basically through text messaging.

Blaine had seemed perfect, perfect looks, gorgeous voice, and a sweet personality. He'd made Kurt feel special and appreciated within the first five minutes of meeting him, he'd flirted, even given Kurt his number and Kurt was confused. He'd never felt this strongly about a guy before knowing him a least a month.

Rachel meant well; his last serious boyfriend had been over a year ago and apart from the two one-night-stands, he hadn't really had much romantic attention from anyone. Blaine had seemed nice but Kurt supposed one date with this 'Adam' guy couldn't hurt.

The next day – 7pm

"Kurt? Kurt Hummel?" a strongly southern English accent asked of him. Kurt glanced up from the table where a (damn it Rachel was right, this boy was cute) tall blonde guy stood above him.

"The one and only! Hi, Adam right?" Kurt asked, standing up to shake the other guy's hand.

"Yeah, hi, it's a pleasure to meet you! Rachel told me a lot about you!" Adam replied, sitting down opposite Kurt.

"All good I hope!" Kurt grinned. Well, so far, so good, Kurt thought to himself, Adam was quite easy on the eye and he seemed nice.

They continued pleasantries for a while, just finding out about the other.

Kurt was vaguely aware of the waiter turning up at their table.

"Hello, my name is Blaine, I will be your server for the evening...KURT?" the waiter said, finally looking up from his notepad to the pair seated at the table.

"Blaine!" Kurt said, swallowing nervously. Shit, shit, shit, his internal monologue chanted, Blaine will probably just jump to conclusions about Adam and this isn't how he wanted their second meeting to go. Kurt also wondered why he cared.

Adam's eyes flicked between Kurt and Blaine, who were both staring at each other awkwardly, before coughing a little. "Can I order?" he asked a small but confused grin on his face.

"Yes certainly, sorry. What can I get you guys?" Blaine shook himself out of it, remembering he actually had to work.

Adam ordered his food as did Kurt, avoiding eye contact with Blaine the entire time, mumbling that he'd like the Caesar salad with no dressing please.

"Is that everything?" Blaine asked, in waiter mode, but his eyes were giving him away – he was hurt and confused right now. Kurt had never mentioned a boyfriend at their first meeting, not that there had been much time...but why would Kurt have let Blaine give him his number?

Kurt opened his mouth to say yes but Adam stopped him, leaning over the table to grab Kurt's hand in his "A bottle of wine for the table please" he said.

Blaine couldn't help but glance at the clasped hands on the table in front of him. "Certainly sir" he nodded, in a quiet voice before walking away.

Blaine dropped off the order at the kitchen before going back to the bar, and rubbing his eyes briefly. Kurt watched him as he went, feeling terribly guilty.

Blaine felt a hand slip around his waist and a female voice whisper to him "You okay? You look a little shaken"

"I'm fine" he replied quietly. "Actually, Marley, would you mind looking after that table for the rest of the night?" he said, nodding in Kurt's direction.

"Ex-boyfriend?" she questioned, noting the table Blaine meant.

"Rather I thought he might be my boyfriend" he said dejectedly, busying himself cleaning a stray glass left on the counter.

"I got you. Don't worry, I'll look after them, smile Blaine" she said, giving him a quick hug.

Kurt couldn't help but glance over at Blaine every few seconds. He noticed one of the waitresses giving him a hug from behind the bar – oh god, if he was being hugged that meant he was upset.

"So who is he?" Adam asked, eyebrows raised.

"Sorry, what?" Kurt said, turning back to the conversation, his mind was all over the place at the moment.

"That waiter? Who is he?"

"He's a ...friend" Kurt mused, he didn't really know what they were...they barely knew each other and yet this stranger was making him feel guilty, confused, happy and every feeling imaginable all at once.

"Seems like more than a friend to me" Adam said, taking a sip of the wine that the waitress who had been hugging Blaine brought over to them.

"He's no-one. It doesn't matter" Kurt said, shaking himself out of his state. But of course, Blaine had chosen that moment to serve the table next to them.

Blaine turned round, his expression fell and hurt filled his hazel eyes, locking gaze with Kurt, forgetting the now disgruntled customers on the other table.

"No-one? My number is still written on your hand Kurt" Blaine said sharply, cheeks blushing and for some unknown reason, a tear pricking in his eye.

"Blaine, that's not what I meant, no, I'm sorry!" Kurt cried as Blaine walked off. Adam awkwardly took another sip of wine and cleared his throat.

"Well Kurt, it was lovely to meet you. But maybe this wasn't the best place to come eat? I'll call you sometime" Adam said, throwing $50 down onto the table.

"Fuck" was Kurt had to say once Adam had disappeared, his head in his hands.