"Come on, Kurt. You can't ask me to choose."

Blaine looks at him with that puppy-look he masters so well it is almost scary. His curls are loose, his skin enticingly tanned after having been kissed by the Italian sun.

"You have tons of them back at home. I even brought you a couple of them from Vogue's wardrobe."

"And those are among my favorites, but look at them, babe."

Kurt rolls his eyes playfully.

"They are simple bowties, Blaine."

Blaine shakes his head, a grin on his lips.

"These are Italian bowties."

Kurt can't help laughing, leaning closer to Blaine until their hips are touching. Blaine smiles up at him open and untamed. He is so gorgeous it hurts and Kurt wonders how it is possible for Blaine to be his. The handsome man posing for Vogue and Runway, for Gucci and Calvin Klein is the one who sings softly to him on those rare lazy afternoons. The one who cooked him his favorite lasagna for their last anniversary.

"You do have a point."

"Of course I do."

They choose the red one, the silk incredibly smooth under Kurt's fingertips. He already imagines what it would feel like to untie it pressing Blaine against the door, one knee slipping between Blaine's strong thighs after one of those parties at Santana's pub. When Blaine always drinks a bit too much and dances too close for Kurt to maintain his sanity.

"You are doing that again, babe."

Kurt snaps out of his reverie; Blaine is looking at him from over his shoulder as the salesgirl wraps up the new bowtie.

"I am doing what?"

"Imagining the things you would like to do to me."

Kurt can feel his cheeks growing hotter and Blaine chuckles, delighted. Kurt loves that sound, just as much as his new favorite sound – the soft rustling of their hotel's linen sheets against Blaine's back as they make love after a day spent walking around Rome.

Blaine has already been there when he worked in Italy and he is a wonderful guide, all excitement and anecdotes and small kisses shared in the shadow of the willows in Villa Borghese.

The other night they went to the Colosseum; the ancient stones were painted green, violet and yellow by the colored lights. Blaine kissed him right there on the sidewalk, warm tongue and firm hands. He whispered "I love you" as a precious secret and Kurt kissed him again and again because words weren't enough. When they went back to their hotel room moans mixed with laughter as Blaine whispered non sense in Italian against the smooth skin of Kurt's inner thighs.

They leave the shop holding hands, Blaine smiling behind his yellow-rimmed sunglasses. The sun is warm on their shoulders as they walk towards the Pantheon. They have already been there, but their plane leaves tomorrow and Kurt wants to stand under the dome for one last time, the air rich with history and Blaine by his side. Once they'll be back in New York, Blaine will start the final recording phase for his first album, which means they will be lucky if they manage to fall asleep together at night. Kurt knows Blaine has worked hard for this opportunity and he'll be by Blaine's side supporting him through it all, but for now he just wants to enjoy all this beauty with the love of his life.

Blaine tugs at the black leather band around Kurt's wrist, two fingertips slipping underneath it.

"What are you thinking about, love?"

Kurt's gaze flickers down to the matching band wrapped around Blaine's right wrist.

"About how lucky I was to meet this wonderful guy one day in Bethesda Terrace."

Blaine's fingers press softly against his pulse point and Kurt's eyes flutter closed in the half light of the Pantheon. Sometimes Kurt thinks love isn't a mystery, love is Blaine and he is the totality of Kurt's world.

*

"You've gelato on your nose, honey."

Blaine scrunches up his nose and tries to reach it with the tip of his tongue.

"Oh for god's sake."

Kurt wipes away the chocolate gelato and before he can wipe his fingertip on the paper napkin,

Blaine grabs Kurt's hand and licks at his thumb.

"Blaine!"

"What? It's gelato, you can't waste it like that."

Kurt opens and closes his mouth, his brain still wrapped around the feeling of the warm wetness of Blaine's tongue on his skin. Intimacy has never been easy for Kurt and also with Blaine it took time for the two of them to be completely comfortable with each other, enough to cross out boundaries and simply be in each other's arms. But now, after two years spent together for Kurt to touch Blaine, for Blaine to reach for him is as natural as breathing.

"You'll drive me crazy, you know that?"

"I know and I love that I can do that to you."

Kurt reaches for one of Blaine's curls, tugging gently.

"You are the only one, love."

*

On the plane Blaine falls asleep, his head on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt looks at the wide sky outside of the window and thinks about all the work that awaits him after this holiday. But with that thought comes also the one of lights and colors and Blaine bathed in them, posing for the camera but absolutely aware of Kurt's every look and movement.

Outside porcelain-white clouds slowly slide past and Kurt closes his eyes and listens to the happy thump of his heart.

*

Jetlag is a horrible beast, Kurt is sure of that as he presses his face into the pillow. His whole body feels too heavy and his mind is still stuck in Rome, walking along cobbled streets and enjoying the view from the top of Castel Sant'Angelo. A familiar hand is tracing circles at the small of his back, soothing and grounding at the same time.

"Blaine?"

Kurt doesn't open his eyes yet but can hear the smile in Blaine's words.

"Buongiorno, amore mio."

Blaine's hand squeezes his hip and Kurt rolls on his back, blinking his eyes open.

"Where did you learn that?"

Blaine grins, leaning forward until his lips brush against the corner of Kurt's mouth.

"I asked the hotel's concierge. I know you like it when I speak in Italian."

Kurt can feel his heart expand in his chest, love twirling around his bones. Laughing, he pushes Blaine down on top of him.

"I love you."

"Ti amo anche io." ("I love you too.")