"Marley Rose?"
Marley Rose heard someone calling her name from the far. She was walking through the hallway when a man's voice shouted her name. She stopped in the middle of the crowded corridor. She wondered who that would be. The voice was quite familiar to her ears, but a name couldn't pop in her head. Blaine? Jake? Ryder? She guessed desperately. Then, Marley turned around to look the man behind the voice. She couldn't see anything; the hallway was filled with so many people, so she couldn't tell where the voice came from. She turned back around and wanted to continue her way, but suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder.
It was the man who called her moments ago. He cleared his throat and said, "Wait, Marley, wait." Marley glanced and saw a fine young man in a leather jacket and a pair of black tight pants. The man was older than her; she knew he was one of the grads who graduated just last year. From the shot of his sparkly green eyes, Marley knew he was a nice guy. But the question was, why would Kurt Hummel want to meet Marley Rose like there was something urgent happening?
"Hey." Marley greeted Kurt warmly. Kurt smiled, but his presence had nothing to do with greeting and saying hello. "Hey. I'm Kurt Hummel." He put out his hand and let Marley shook it. "Yeah, I know you. You're the legendary Kurt Hummel. Everybody talks about you here," Marley said, holding her textbooks tightly on her chest. "Hmm, and you must be Blaine's boyfriend, right? He told me a lot of good things about you." She continued. Kurt sighed, only if things weren't different from the past and I could still call him my boyfriend. "Yeah, good to know. B-but, that's actually not my intention for coming back to McKinley," Kurt stammered. "I – I – there is something that I need to talk to you. In private. With your mom. Would you like to come with me?" Marley's facial expression suddenly turned worry. What's happening with mom? Is she okay? Questions popped inside her head, but she kept all of them unanswered. Right after Kurt gave his hand to Marley and let her hold it; Kurt dragged Marley to cross the hallway to the other side of the school. They kept running through the hallway without thinking that if they ran faster they would hurt students who were passing next to them. And their journey ended inside the school kitchen – right where Marley's mom usually worked.
Kurt and Marley found Millie Rose sitting still in front of the supply closet. Her face wasn't as cheerful as it used to be. In fact, tears slowly streamed down Millie's face and she stared blankly at the floor. Marley quickly hugged her mom tightly to calm her down. She didn't know what happened; everything went so weird since the first time the blue eyes beauty arrived at school. Her mother kept refusing Marley to help her preparing lunch for students at school. "No, no, it's okay, I can do it myself." Millie kept saying that every time Marley wanted to prepare the ingredients or cleaning the kitchen appliances that her mother used for cooking. Marley sighed, her mother didn't want any help but her face looked very tired and sorrowful. "Mom, I think you're tired. Don't you want to take a rest or something? Or, I can make you a cup of tea?" Marley asked, smiling. But there was no use; her mom shook her head disagree. "M, I think you should go to your class. And don't bother me if I don't ask for your help – I can do it myself." Marley's heart broke. Yeah, maybe she's right; I'll just leave her alone, Marley thought. She smiled faintly, and then grabbed her books and bag. When she wanted to kiss her mom's cheeks, Millie refused and tried to avoid Marley's glance. Marley left in confusion.
From first period until recess, Marley kept asking herself – what's wrong with my mom? Her mom was never like this to her. She kept hiding something behind Marley's back that made her curious. Marley couldn't concentrate while studying, she kept thinking about her mom. Is it something that I've done? Marley thought. Marley's stomach was squishy; she had a bad feeling about what was happening.
And now was this – Millie was crying and Marley had no idea what was happening. Kurt stared at the pair of mother and daughter. Millie was crying in Marley's arms and Marley kept rubbing her mom's back to make her relax. Kurt crossed his arms on his chest and his eyes started to get watery. He couldn't stand it; beside the jealousy he had for seeing Marley with her mother – the bonding he never had with his deceased mother – he had to keep the meeting and the big announcement short and clear.
Kurt cleared his throat and Marley realized that she had to stop hugging Millie, so Kurt could get down to the business. "Marley? We have something to tell you." Kurt said. Kurt and Millie exchanged glances, signaling each other to get ready. "Hmm," Millie wasn't ready to tell her daughter the announcement, but she had to. To calm herself down, Millie held Marley's both hands and smiled. The fear of knowing was circling around Marley's face. Millie rubbed the girl's hair gently until she was relaxed. "Kurt and I have something to talk to you," Millie continued. "For the last 16 years, I've been keeping this secret safely and now I'd like to share it to you," Marley nodded, she was ready for anything. After a long pause, Millie finally told her the truth, "I'm not your mother."
Millie and Kurt knew this announcement would turn Marley upside down. She was speechless, no word uttered from her lips. Marley's heart beat faster than ever. When she thought she would ready for this, she was wrong – dead wrong. Marley wasn't ready, she felt like she just got dumped from her own life. So, all this time I'm not a Rose? Why is she telling me this? Is she going to kick me out from her life forever? Marley's head couldn't digest the right information at the moment. She needed a moment to calm her down. She gulped, and then said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that I did to you. I'm sorry for the last 16 years that you wasted for me. I'm sorry for being a bad daughter for you. I'm sorry." Marley couldn't stop saying sorry. Millie quickly hugged her adopted daughter tightly as soon as she kneeled down in front of Millie. "Hush… it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. In fact, I'm happy for being your mother. I've got the best daughter in the world." Millie smiled faintly and kissed Marley's forehead and cheeks. She could feel Marley's tears fell down one by one and her eyes got watery and watery. "Does that mean you kick me out of the house?" Marley asked, pulling herself out from the hug. Do I have to find my real mother and start a life with her? What if she doesn't accept me? Marley bit her lower lip, waiting for Millie's answer. She shook her head and said, "No, you're always welcome here. After all, you're my one and only daughter, right?" Millie smiled faintly. She didn't want to lose her daughter after she told her the truth. She still loved Little Rosy no matter what.
Marley was now confused. Did she have to ask Millie about her biological mother? She didn't have enough guts to ask her the question. Her stomach felt squishy, just like the one she had in the morning. Should I or shouldn't I? "Mom, can I ask you something?" Marley asked. The way she called Millie mom made Millie's heart skipped a beat. She thought Marley would never call her mom ever again. "Anything, darl." It was short for darling. Marley wiped her tears and inhaled, and when she was ready she finally said it. "Who is she? Do I know her?" The word 'she' referred to her biological mother. After all, Marley needed to know. "She happens to be my aunt Mildred. She's from my mother's side. Ever since my mom died, we never spoke. But for you, I'll try." Kurt smiled warmly. Marley glanced at Millie; she looked devastated, but she tried to hide it with a smile. "Do you want to meet her? This young man will take you to her." Said Millie, pointing at Kurt. Kurt waved a hand at them. Marley looked down, she wasn't ready for this. This went faster than she thought. She thought she would drive miles away to look for her mother, but no – she knew her name, she knew who would guide her to her mother. She needed to know this Mildred woman; she wanted to know why she left her own daughter – was it for a good thing or a bad thing? If it was for a good thing, Marley felt relieved. But, what if it was worse? What if all this time she was an unwanted child, the result of a forbidden love? Maybe Mildred wanted to do an abortion, but she refused to because she wanted to keep Marley alive. Marley thought too much. She didn't know what she was going to face, but she kept guessing something awful would happen to her. "I think I should leave you two for a talk, I'll be serving lunch if you need me." Millie said, leaving to the cafeteria. Marley looked at her watch, it was 12.00 pm already, she missed 2 classes but she didn't care. Marley sat on the wooden chair Millie sat before, worried. She was a mess. She didn't know her high school life would be so hard. It was like a hit on her head – it hurt, she felt like she was in a nightmare. She wanted to wake up as soon as possible, but she couldn't. There was something that held her back to sit and continue to enjoy what her unconscious mind had to offer. But when she woke up, things went differently and she got back to be herself – she wanted to wake up. She didn't want to be in that dream anymore. But, she had to face the shit in life. She had to meet Mildred for an explanation no matter what – even though she didn't want to accept her own daughter.
"Hey, how do you feel?" Kurt pulled another wooden chair and sat right next to Marley. He stared at Marley closely; she was deep in thought and didn't glance at Kurt a bit. And a few seconds later, Marley finally said a word, "I don't know if I can do this." Kurt patted Marley by her shoulder gently and smiled warmly. "Shh… no one's forcing you to do this," Kurt replied, "If you're not ready to meet her, then we'll just have to wait until you're finally ready." Marley drowned her face into her palms and started crying. Kurt rubbed her back until her cry got better – but it never got better. "I'M READY, BUT I –"Marley screamed then wiped her tears with bare hands. "—afraid?" Kurt finished her word. She nodded. Finally, Kurt found the missing piece to how Marley felt. Still rubbing Marley's back, Kurt listened to Marley's explanation. "I – I'm afraid that things will get worse after this. I'm afraid that she, Mildred, won't accept me. What if I'm just a one-night-stand kid? And she had pity for me, so she just kept me alive? And what about mom? Will she still accept me for who I am? What if I lose both; I don't get mom, I don't get Mildred, and they just let me suffer for the rest of my life? I'm afraid of the risks, Kurt." Marley cried harder. Kurt couldn't leave her alone in grief. "Shh… you've got me, okay? You've got me. And whatever you will face, I will face it, too. You're my cousin and you're like a little sister to me now. We'll face everything together." Kurt hugged Marley tightly. Marley could feel the warmth in Kurt's body which calmed her down. Slowly but sure, Marley pushed away Kurt and nodded. "I never knew how it felt to have a big brother before since I'm an only child, but you make me feel like I have one that can guide me through everything. You give me the brotherly love I didn't get before. And hearing your amazing story about how you faced bullies and your New York dreams makes me wonder, if he can, why can't I? Maybe New York and Broadway aren't my things since all I want to be is a recording artist and make top 40 hits, but you inspire me." Marley said. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and joy. She wasn't a crybaby anymore; she was optimistic and ready to face the world. "See? You and I aren't so different. We both want to make it in the entertainment business and we both have desires to make it big. Glad you feel the same way, sister." Kurt said. Marley giggled after hearing Kurt calling her sister. No one ever called her that before and now she had to hear the nickname all the time since Kurt would call her that way from now on.
All this time she didn't hug back, but now she let the chance. She hugged Kurt back and said, "Thank you. I don't know if I can actually face it alone, but there are you. I don't know how we get this close, but thank you for being here for me." "Anytime, dear, anytime." Kurt said, drowning his face on Marley's shoulder. He never had the connection to this kind of situation, but he was touched. He was touched by the way Millie told Marley the truth, he was touched by how they were so close and by telling Marley that she wasn't Millie's kid hurt him. He was touched by Marley's fear of what was going to happen to her and what would she face. He was touched by the fact that he had one duty to finish; getting a mother and a daughter to meet each other.
After Kurt and Marley finished hugging, Kurt grabbed his phone. "Hmm, can I have your number? In case if you change your mind and you're finally ready for the search." Kurt asked. Marley smiled faintly and answered, "Sure." She gave him her number. "Thanks." Kurt thanked her. Then, he walked to the exit to come home and meet his father, Burt, after weeks of not seeing each other after his last visit.
"Hey!" Marley exclaimed at Kurt.
He turned around and said, "Yes?" "How long will you stay in Lima? I know you have college and stuff in New York and I'm afraid that this will affect your daily activities there." Marley asked. "I'll be here for a month. I'm taking a break, you know, homesick." Kurt answered, and then giggled. Marley smiled. Then, Kurt headed to the door as Marley looking at him happily. She was happy because there was someone who willed to help her without expecting anything in return. Kurt was like a savior, an angel. He was like an angel sent from above to help Marley go through her tough life. Marley felt so close to everything he was.
Could he be a real angel?
Kurt was heading to the exit of the school when someone called him from behind. "KURT!" it was a recognizable voice. He turned around and saw who was coming. It was Blaine Anderson. He wore a white sweater, red bow tie, and red pants. He didn't forget to gel his curly dark hair. His look was a kryptonite to Kurt. Was. Right after they broke up in New York because of a so-called third wheel, things were very different. They never spoke. They never looked at each other. They never asked each other's condition. It was a reversed situation, comparing to the relationship they had for years. They had built their own love castle, but then they destroyed it into pieces because of an irrational reason. They thought they could fix everything and restart again, but there was no chance. They loved each other, they really did. Kurt's heart still skipped a beat right after Blaine called his name. They couldn't deny their desires for having each other, but they were ashamed to admit it. They were afraid of getting hurt and stumbled. It was better so walk their separate ways.
"Kurt, wait!" Blaine ran to Kurt. He stopped and controlled his breath. Until he could breathe normally, Blaine asked, "Can I talk to you for a sec?" Kurt's eyes widened. He never expected Blaine would ask him to have a conversation. Without hesitation, Kurt answered, "Yeah, yeah, sure."
Blaine walked Kurt to an empty classroom. The classroom was the silent witness of the last goodbye for Kurt before he graduated. They remembered the last time both of them were there; they were holding hands, talking heart-to-heart without taking their eyes off each other.
"Do you wanna know how I picture the end of my life? Just like in The Notebook. I'm sitting in a nursing home talking endlessly about my high school sweetheart, my first love, going on and on about every detail as if they matter. Only in my version, he's there with me…"
They remembered that quote as if it just happened yesterday. Right after they arrived in the room, they took seats; facing at each other, just like the last time they went there – only they didn't hold hands, they still felt awkward about it. "So, here we are – just like the old times." Kurt said. Blaine smirked and nodded, "Yeah, the old times." Kurt looked at Blaine's face; he looked down, ashamed, and guilty at the same time. "Hey, what's going on?" Kurt asked. Blaine looked up and faked a smile, "Um, nothing. I'm just – I'm just happy to see you. I miss you," Blaine's deep hazel eyes were watery, he was about to cry. Kurt couldn't help it; he held Blaine's clenched hands and rubbed them with both of his thumbs. Blaine was happy to get the affection he needed. Then, he continued, "You know that I'm missing you like crazy and it hurts? Every day I imagine myself being held inside your arms, just to feel your warm embrace, and then I realize that I don't have you by my side. You're there, in New York, reaching your dreams and goals, and I can't stop you – and I won't." hearing what Blaine just said, Kurt was touched. He didn't know all this time Blaine missed him. Only if he knew, he would spend more time together with him. Kurt didn't think about how awkward would that be, he just wanted to comfort Blaine – body and soul.
Kurt smiled and patted Blaine's shoulder. "Hey, I'm right here, okay? I'll be in Lima for a month and maybe we could hang out a bit. You know, drinking coffee, like we used to." Hearing that, Blaine suddenly became so cheerful. His eyes shined like a puppy with a new toy. "Thank you. That way we could fix our relationship." Blaine said. Kurt was speechless; that was the first time Blaine ever said he wanted to fix their relationship. He didn't know the man also wanted both of them to get back. Kurt stammered, "I — I — I think so, yeah," they went silent for seconds, until Kurt had the guts to admit something. "Blaine, I still love you." Blaine's ears perked up, he was surprised. "I beg your pardon?" Blaine replied. Kurt nodded, it would be so embarrassing for him to say 'I love you' if Blaine didn't feel the same for him. Kurt wanted to take his words back, but how? He prepared for Blaine's answer — no matter how great or ridiculous it would be. Kurt gulped and said, "I know I'm seeing someone in New York — sort of — but, I just — you were the one who took my breath away for the first time and I won't forget that. You're the first one that I love so much and you're the first one to make sure you're the one. My soulmate. Every day, in front of a mirror, I look up to myself and I feel my reflection whispering to me, 'he's the one. Go. Get. Him'," Kurt almost shed a tear, but he tried to hold it. Blaine was stunned, he didn't know Kurt felt the same way for him. "Say something. Please." Kurt begged Blaine to give his opinion. Blaine tried to string a few words, but his mind was scrambled. "I don't know what to say." Kurt was disappointed. He knew it wouldn't work out. He knew their relationship would never be fixed. He knew they would break up for real. "I understand." Kurt said, almost whispering. He was in a deep funk, only if he never said that.
Kurt got up from his seat. He couldn't hold the embarrassment any longer. He needed to walk away and forget the conversation they both had. But before Kurt could reach the door, Blaine grabbed Kurt's arm. "Wait!" Blaine exclaimed. Kurt turned around to look at Blaine for the last time — he thought. Kurt's eyes were swollen from holding his cry too long. Blaine was sorry for what he said. He knew he shouldn't say that he didn't know — because he knew. "I still love you, too," Blaine confessed. He was glad he could see the sunshine inside Kurt's eyes; he was no longer sad, in fact he was very joyful. "I didn't know what to say because I was afraid of what you were going to think. I'm also seeing someone here," Blaine said. Kurt's heart almost broke into pieces when he heard Blaine telling him he was seeing another man, but then Blaine continued. "But, it's just a crush and I bet he will never fall for me. But with you, it's not just a crush that I feel for you — it's more like true love. Everyday, I try to forget you and my past, but I can't. It feels like you're killing me softly, even if you don't have a solid weapon or something — your love is the weapon and my heart is the target. You got me begging for your love." Kurt was flattered. He never knew Blaine would be so desperately in love for him, just like this.
Suddenly, Blaine walked closer to Kurt. He gently leaned in and kissed Kurt's lips. It started as a peck on the lips, but then they were carried away. Blaine put his hands on Kurt's jaws while deepening his kiss. Kurt oepened his lips and let Blaine explore Kurt's mouth with his tongue. They kissed passionately and fiercely for a few seconds.
Blaine didn't want to let Kurt go. He didn't want his lover to leave. He had to do something to make Kurt stay. So, Blaine ran his hands through Kurt's body and ended up touching his waist and started to kiss Kurt's neck. Blaine could feel Kurt's body shivering and got hard on. He knew this was what Kurt wanted. Kurt moaned softly, he didn't want people to start gathering in front of the room just to watch they boys got heavy in the classroom. "Gosh, you always know the best way to please me." Kurt moaned. Blaine said, still kissing Kurt's neck, "I just ont want you to leave me again, that's all."
Just before Blaine could slide his hand into Kurt's pants to grope his ass, his phone buzzed. It was a text message. They stopped the heavy make out session and Blaine turned to his phone. Kurt licked the upper part of his lips to feel the heavenly taste of Blaine's lips once again.
"Hey, sugar. Ready to play slave&mas tomorrow night? Let's see who will conquer who ;)"
Blaine's jaw dropped and so his dignity. Kurt happened to be reading the message next to him, stunned. He frowned and looked at Blaine furiously. Blaine didn't want Kurt to leave again just because of the jealousy after reading the text message from Eli C, Blaine's sweetest escape. Blaine wished he ignored the text message instead of reading it. He was ashamed and guilty. Now the chance for him to get Kurt back decreased.
After reading the text, Kurt felt he just jumped off a cliff. His heart couldn't beat normally. He was shocked, mad, and disappointed. He couldn't take anymore lies from Blaine. He thought Blaine was changed for the better, but no. He was lying all the time. The kiss meant nothing because Blaine had another heavy petting to do and another desire to please.
"Kurt, please, let me explain —" before Blaine could complete his word, Kurt stopped him. Kurt couldn't hold his tears and pain any longer. He took a step away from Blaine and said angrily, "Just stop. I've had enough! You'll go back to him and I'll go back to black." Kurt ran away to the school exit. Blaine couldn't stop him because Kurt already faded away with the crowd on the hallway. Blaine hit his head to the door, crying, and thought to himself, how can I be so dumb?
Thank you for reading and let me know what you think :) Don't be shy...