Working at the Lima Bean was probably the most depressing thing that had ever happened to Kurt Hummel. The customers were rude, the boss was a true tyrant, and after drinking so much of their coffee, he was almost sure he'd never want to taste a non-fat mocha again. He'd considered quitting on numerous occasions, days when his shift seemed to stretch on for decades and he was being especially under-tipped, but each time, something would stop him.

Blaine.

Every day at three, the end of his shift, Blaine, Tina, Sugar and Brittany would walk through that door. He's always done that, Kurt thought on this particular day. Well, as long as I've known him. He smiled at the realization that maybe Blaine didn't come for the coffee, but instead for Kurt, even back when they were just friends. Before he could give it too much thought, though, the bells above the door jingled and the quartet walked inside.

"Hey, you," Blaine grinned, leaning over the counter to peck Kurt on the lips.

"Hi," Kurt beamed. "Hi, girls," he added, but it was an afterthought. It wasn't that he didn't notice the girls, it was just...Blaine. With those smoldering golden gemstones he called eyes, and that dopey, lovesick grin, and the way one dark curl had freed itself from the gel helmet and was sticking to his face with sweat, and --

"Kurt, sweetie? You okay?" Blaine asked, sounding adorably concerned.

"I'm fine, but you need to stop being so damn gorgeous all the time," Kurt smiled, untying his apron from around his waist and folding into a tight square, then neatly tucking it into his messenger bag. It needed to be washed. 

"Right back atcha," Blaine grinned, and Kurt blushed at the floor before making his way out from behind the counter. As soon as he was standing with the four, Blaine seized his hand and practically dragged him to a nearby table.

"Blaine, what are you -"

"We found out where Nationals is going to be today!" Blaine exclaimed, his eyes lighting up like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Kurt gasped. "That's so great! Where?"

"Toronto," Tina said, smiling dreamily. "Over fifty dance companies. You know how much I love to see people dance."

"And just think of the shopping!" Sugar cried, throwing her arms into the air. "I absolutely love shopping!"

"Trust me, I know," Blaine laughed.

"I just want to see a moose," Brittany said before taking a sip if her tea. "I wonder if they sing, too."

Kurt smiled. He loved to see his friends happy. And Blaine. Because Blaine's smile was quite possibly the most beautiful thing on the planet, and Kurt would do anything to see it. "That's awesome, guys. You're gonna have such an amazing time."

"Come with us!" Blaine exclaimed, taking Kurt's hand across the table. "I mean, it's no secret that everyone in that choir room misses you like crazy. And besides, it'd be fun for us to spend some time together. You know, outside of Lima."

"Well, I don't know..." Kurt sighed. "I have work all that week."

"Call in sick," Tina suggested.

"What if I just pay you that week?" Sugar inquired, and Kurt chuckled.

"I'll think about it," he said, and everyone heard the silent 'and that's final so no more pressuring me to skip a whole week of work so I can follow a high school show choir to Canada because that kind of makes me sound like a creepy pervert.'

"I really wish you'd come, Kurt. You wouldn't regret it."

It's not fair that he can do that, Kurt thought. He's like a hypnotizer. Is that a word? 'Hypnotizer'? Well, that's what Blaine is. "I'm considering it as we speak."

"Do you know yet?" Blaine asked, full of childish hope and anticipation.

"No, hun, I just started thinking about it now," Kurt said, and it was only slightly condesending.

"Oh," Blaine said solemnly, hanging his head. Then he perked back up. "How about now?"

Kurt and the girls laughed, and Blaine allowed himself a smile, albeit a mischevious one, but a smile just the same. And why was Blaine's smile mischevious? Because now they had Kurt hooked, he was definetly going to Canada (Blaine would beg forever if he had to), and his plan couldn't fail.

Well, it probably wouldn't fail.

He had no idea what would happen if it did, though.

"Blaine, will you tell your parents how much I love them?"

With his parents gone on yet another business trip, Blaine had been able to take Kurt home for a heated makeout session, which had somehow quickly escalated into much more. Now they lay spent, still sweaty, entangled in each other's arms under one of Blaine's thinner blankets. "More than me?" Blaine asked, sounding falsely offended.

"Well, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have you," Kurt smiled, tapping the end of Blaine's nose. "And if it weren't for their business trips, I'd probably still be the world's biggest virgin."

Blaine chuckled."So, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Kurt tensed. "I didn't take your hair gel. It was just...gone. I'm serious. Who would even be so heartless as to --"

"It's not about the gel, Kurt," he interrupted, grinning. "It's about Nationals."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Blaine, I...I just don't know right now, sweetie, and Sugar and Tina keep texting me to ask if I'm going, and I'm sure Britt would be too, if she knew how to text, and I still haven't talked to Phil about taking that week off, and I just feel like I'm under a lot of pressure right now."

"Hey," Blaine said, placing a comforting hand on Kurt's cheek. "I don't want you to feel under pressure. I just want to share all of my experiences with you, you know? And this is the last time I'll get to compete, and I can't stand the thought of winning or losing without you there, cheering me on."

"Oh, what the hell. You know I can't say no to you," Kurt smiled, pressing a quick kiss to Blaine's lips. "I just have to go call work and tell them I have plans next week."

He made a move to get out of bed, but Blaine rolled on top of him, keeping him from leaving. "Nope. You're staying right here and cuddling with me."

"I mean, we could do more than cuddle..."

Blaine grinned and kissed him hard on the mouth. "You're right, we could do a lot more than cuddle."

"Are you sure you don't want to come along, Finn?" Kurt asked as he carried his last bag out to the Navigator, Finn following behind him.

"Yeah, I'm fine here, helping at the shop and stuff. Besides, we both know you're everybody's favorite."

"Well, not everybody..." he smiled.

"You were my favorite, when we were in there," Finn said, sounding completely honest.

"While that's incredibly sweet, what about Rachel?"

"Bros before girls we almost married, right?"

Kurt laughed. "Well, when you put it that way." He closed the trunk of the Navigator. "You know, you really are a good brother, Finn. I'm gonna miss you next year."

"Well, we always have Thanksgiving," Finn said, and Kurt laughed again, because of course Finn would be thinking about food-related holidays. "And yours and Blaine's wedding. I'll see you at that."

Beaming, Kurt hugged Finn, for once not complaining that he had to stand on his tiptoes. "That's the most wonderful thing anyone's ever said to me."

"You know it's true," Finn said as he squeezed his brother's tiny frame. "You guys were like, made for each other, everyone says so. And Burt and my mom and I will all be there, whenever you guys are ready, because we love you, and Blaine is like family, and everybody's so happy that you've got each other."

Kurt wiped at his eyes, not wanting Finn to see the tears that had accumulated there during his speech, and tried to pull out of Finn's hug. But Finn wouldn't let go. "Uh, Finn?"

"I just want to make up for every time I didn't treat you like I should have," Finn explained.

"As adorably sappy as that is, I'm gonna miss my flight," Kurt replied, looking at his watch.

"Right." Finn finally released Kurt from his grip. "See you in a week."

"You can call if you want," Kurt suggested.

"Awesome. Bye, Kurt!" Finn called, waving, before turning back into the house and shutting the door behind him.

Kurt climbed into the navigator, switched on the radio, and drove to the airport, thinking the whole way there of how strange Finn was being. Not that he minded.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Blaine paced in front of the hotel's bathroom mirror, clutching the small velvet box close to his heart. He didn't understand why he was so nervous. He'd been rehearsing this for weeks, he had it memorized, he knew it backwards and in Latin. (Why he'd learned the Latin translation was beyond him, although at this point he assumed it was nerves.) "Come on, Anderson! You can do this," he coached himself. Then he straightened his tie, buttoned his jacket and opened the bathroom door. Kurt was sprawled on his stomach on the king-sized bed, the latest issue of Vogue lying open in front of him. "Ready to go?" Blaine asked, grinning through the nerves.

"Oh, don't you look adorable!" Kurt giggled, crossing the room to stand in front of Blaine, then wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's neck and pulling him in for a chaste kiss.

Blaine let his hands rest on Kurt's hips. "And you're positively breathtaking, as usual."

Kurt's face turned as red as a tomato and he mumbled something about "Stop it, I'm blushing."

"What? It's true!" Blaine argued, still grinning. Kurt just kicked at the carpet, face and neck still looking painfully red. "Okay. I'm done. Let's go!" He took Kurt's hand and rushed out the door, feeling less anxious and more excited, now that he'd seen the object of his affection. Kurt always made him feel safe, like he could never fail. And he never could fail with Kurt, not really. All their problems were easily resolved. They could do that; they could fight and ignore each other and pretend they didn't even care, but eventually they'd both cave because they were like that. Because true love was like that. And Blaine knew, now more than ever, that everything he felt about Kurt was one hundred percent real, and it didn't matter that he was only eighteen, or that his dad still didn't approve of his sexuality, or that real life, they now knew, was so much more difficult than the movies. They would build their own real life together, and it'd be just like every Nicholas Sparks novel ever written.

"Blaine?"

Blaine looked up, remembering where he was, and in turn remembering why he was here. "Yes, honey?"

"This date has been lovely, but I know you're keeping something from me."

"H-huh?"

"We've been together for over two years, Blaine, I know when something's up with you," Kurt smirked.

"Well, actually, there...there is something." He stood up and faced Kurt, running a hand through his hair. "I, uh...Amo te. Cum ego diem gradus in omni castitate."

"Are you speaking Latin?"

Blaine laughed nervously. "Yeah, I, uh, learned some Latin."

"Well, what did that mean?"

Blaine took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began again. "Kurt, I'm in love with you. I always have been, always, since I first laid eyes on you. You make everybody else look so ordinary, and I love that. I love everything about you. The way I can tell how you're feeling just by the color of your eyes. How you listen to my stupid high school drama every day, how you hold me when I'm sad and smile with me when I'm happy. How you have a pair of shoes to go with every outfit and you cry during American Idol results shows."

"They're emotional!"

"As long as I get to hold you through it. Look, I could sit here and list every little detail, but I think I have something that could make my point a little clearer." He took the box from inside his jacket then, and positioned himself on one knee at Kurt's feet.

Kurt gasped, feeling tears start to form in his eyes. "Is...is this..."

"I know we're young, and I know the whole world doesn't understand what we have, but...I just love you so, so much, and...gah. Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, will you marry me?"

Kurt stilled, staring down at the open ring box in his boyfriend's hand. How Blaine had afforded the ring he didn't know. Sure, the Anderson family had money, seeing as Blaine's father was a lawyer, but Mr. Anderson hated Kurt, and he definetly wouldn't give Blaine the money to buy an engagement ring -- He paid for this himself, didn't he?! Kurt thought. 

He wanted to marry Blaine, of course, but when he really thought about it -- But why think about it? he asked himself. You're in love. He's proposing. And you say:

"Yes," Kurt whispered aloud.

"Yes?" Blaine asked as he stood up, making sure he'd heard right.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes yes yes!" Kurt jumped up and threw his arms around Blaine's neck, and kissed him between shouting yes's. Blaine grinned against his lips, swept him up in his arms and spun him around.

"We should," -- kiss -- "Get back," -- kiss -- "To the hotel," Blaine suggested.

"Good idea," Kurt whispered against his lips. "Blaine?"

"Hmm?" Blaine asked, opening his eyes so as to look into Kurt's.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," he smiled, kissing Kurt's forehead before placing him back onto the ground. "I love you, too."