August

"Kurt, it is good to try new things." Burt's arms were crossed over his chest and he wore a serious expression as he watched his son move around the kitchen.

"I know that dad."

"That's right." Carole chimed in, "You don't know if you'll like something until you try it."

Kurt shot his Dad and Stepmom a long-suffering glance as he took the pot roast out of the oven; they'd been going around and around on this subject for the last 20 minutes. And honestly, it wasn't the first time it had been brought up by Burt and then subsequently shot down by Kurt.

"I don't know about that. I knew I wasn't into girls without needing to try."

Burt shook his head and grabbed a bottle of beer from the refrigerator, "That's different."

"You insist you wouldn't like calamari even though you refuse to try it," Kurt continued, lifting the lid to the roast and letting the steam and delicious scent hit his face.

"Kurt, you're talking about squid and-"

"And Carole." Kurt pulled off his oven mitts and turned towards her, she was watching him with an amused smile, "You know full well you should never… I don't know… dye your hair jet-black! You don't need to try it to find out."

Burt just let out a frustrated huff and sat down at the kitchen table with his beer.

"Actually, I did die my hair black once, as a teenager," Carole said, "It was a bad idea."

"Oh my god. I have to see pictures!"

Burt cleared his throat to get the attention back to the matter at hand, "Don't try and change the subject Kurt."

The subject was an old one, and it really felt like beating a dead horse at this point. How many times had his father brought up Blaine Anderson throughout the years? Blaine Anderson, the son of Ian and Pamela Anderson, old college friends of Burt and Elizabeth. They all met attending Ohio State back in '87 and were fast and inseparable friends. Blaine and Kurt had played together as very young children and their parents remained friends though the years – even through the Andersons' move to Connecticut and Elizabeth's death, they always stayed in contact; they'd even come to town for Elizabeth's funeral. Now, the Andersons had moved back to Ohio and the old debate was brought up again.

Blaine Anderson was a young gay man.

Kurt was a young gay man.

Even though they hadn't seen each other since they were children, before either of them were even out, obviously, they must be perfect for each other.

"Maybe that saying wasn't appropriate in this situation." Carole walked over to Burt and squeezed his shoulders reassuringly, showing him they were in this fight together. "What I meant was, you don't know if you'll like Blaine or not because you haven't even taken the time to meet him."

"I don't know why you are so invested in this blind date Carole," Kurt said, trying not to smile. He wasn't about to give up any ground on this matter, but he liked going toe-to-toe with Carole; she was surprisingly fiery. "The Andersons aren't old college friends of yours."

Kurt was plating the pot roast on a nice platter now, arranging the carrots, potatoes and onions artfully around it.

"No, but I've met Ian and Pamela on several occasions and I adore them. Pamela is a gem. And everything I hear about their son makes him seem like he'd be the perfect match for you."

"See!" Burt said, lifting his beer triumphantly, "I told you."

"But you haven't met him yourself," Kurt countered, bringing the food to the table as Carole took her seat.

"I've met him Kurt," Burt said, "And I've known the Andersons for over three decades. Don't you trust my judgement?"

"Of course I do." Kurt was trying to think of a way to nip this idea in the bud without offending his father – who really did mean well. "I trust both of you, except for when it comes to setting me up. What you consider 'perfect for me' usually just means gay… and lives in New York. End of the list. Your criteria stops there. Remember Hunter?"

Carole cleared her throat uncomfortably and his dad had the decency to break eye contact with him. Hunter was Kurt's ace in the hole, and by far the worse date he'd been on in his 25 years of life. He was the son of a co-worker of his father's, and the rudest most homophobic gay man Kurt had ever met. The only thing Kurt got out of that interaction was a chilling story to tell when people talked about the worst dates they'd ever been on.

Burt didn't have an immediate response to that. Instead, he started cutting into the pot roast, serving Carole and then Kurt.

Kurt tried to hide his smirk; he may have just won this argument.

"Okay… Hunter was a mistake, but I remember Blaine as a kid." Burt looked up at Kurt with determination, "He was sweet and good-natured; he wore bowties at five-years-old, Bud." Burt emphasized that last part as if it made his entire case, and Kurt wouldn't admit it out loud, but the idea of a little five-year-old kid running around in a bowtie was pretty adorable. "You two played together and got along so well!"

"I don't really remember much about him though," Kurt argued, "All I remember was him taking the toy transformers we were playing with away from me before they even had a chance to have a tea party."

"You're remembering that wrong," Burt said, cutting his roast with a little too much gusto, "Cooper –Blaine's big brother – was the one always taking toys away from you. Blaine was a sweet kid."

Kurt paused, chewing a bite of the delicious, if he did say so himself, pot roast he'd made. "Okay, you're right, I remember that now."

Cooper was considerably older than both Blaine and Kurt and teased them endlessly. If Kurt remembered correctly, Blaine actually stood up to Cooper for his sake once or twice.

"I am not trying to set you up with Cooper Anderson, he always reminded me of Eddie Haskell…"

Kurt couldn't believe it, but his resolve was wavering slightly. He did remember Blaine a little better now, and a boy who wore bowties and didn't make fun of Kurt when he wanted to have tea parties with their transformers – instead of having them battle like most little boys would – seemed like someone who might have turned out alright.

Carole must have sensed an opening because she took that moment to go in for the kill, "Besides, Kurt," she smiled pleasantly as if she wasn't sharpening a knife to plunge into Kurt's back, "When was the last time you went on a date with anyone?"

Kurt stabbed a carrot with his fork and narrowed his eyes at Carole, "Touché."

"Then you'll meet him?" Burt was overly enthusiastic about this in Kurt's opinion. "Just for coffee, and if you hit it off, you can meet up again when you are both back in New York. And if you don't, hey, the Big Apple is a huge place, you never have to see each other again."

"Fine." Kurt shook his head, unable to believe he was giving in so easily. "One date, just for coffee."

Carole actually clapped her hands in excitement, "Oh, I can't wait to tell Pam!"

"We could be in-laws!"

"Oh my god! It's just one date!" Kurt said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

What had he just agreed to? Meeting up with a guy his dad had wanted him to date for years? That was too much pressure. God, this was already a mistake.

"And from what I hear, he loves musicals and fashion, just like you." Pamela Anderson stood in Blaine's childhood room with him, talking a mile a minute, as he got ready for his blind date.

"Ah, a gay man who lives in New York and loves musicals and fashion. What a rare find."

"Don't be like that. I really think you'll like him."

"Mom, I know you like the Hummels, but just… don't get your hopes too high, okay? I'm happy to meet Kurt, but I can't promise anything will come of it."

"I know. I know. But… it's the Hummels. I've always wanted to be related to the Hummels. And Carole? Maybe I haven't know her as long as Burt, but when dear Elizabeth passed away…" Pam was quiet for a moment and Blaine waited for her to compose herself, "I never thought I'd see Burt so happy and full of life again," she said softly and then smiled, "No man could have done better raising a son all on his own, but Carole has brought Burt back to life."

"That's really sweet, Mom," Blaine said honestly. "Still doesn't mean Kurt and I are - what are you doing?" Blaine stopped midsentence, noticing his mother laying out a selection of bowties on his dresser.

"Helping you decide what to wear."

"Mom! I've been dressing myself since I was four and you wanted to put me in denim overalls and I felt more comfortable in a sweater vest."

"I just want you to look extra nice."

"I'm wearing this," Blaine said, looking down at his outfit-boat shoes, nice jeans and a purple button down shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbow. "I picked it out last night with my coffee date in mind."

"Blaine. You have to dress up more than that!"

"It's coffee."

"It's Kurt Hummel! And you only have one chance at a first impression."

Blaine groaned, knowing this wasn't worth arguing over with his mother.

"You don't have to be at the Lima Bean until 10:30am. You have time to change."

"Fine. That one." Blaine said pointing to a canary yellow bowtie with thin purple stripes. "Let's do this."

40 minutes later, Blaine parked his mother's car haphazardly in front of the Lima Bean. Pam had failed to mention that her car was nearly empty, and Blaine would have to fill it up before he could get anywhere, so he was running a little behind and kicking himself for it. He pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time-10:38am, he winced – being late for a blind date was a bad start.

He flew into the coffee shop, the little bell above him chiming, and scanned the room. He didn't actually know what Kurt Hummel looked like, so he had to hope that he'd see some guy his age sitting alone and-

Blaine's breath caught in his throat.

A man, that he prayed to god was Kurt Hummel, was sitting at a small table near the window on his own and looking around as if waiting for someone. He. Was. Breathtaking.

Holy fucking hell. Blaine was glad he'd listened to his mom and changed clothes. Though his black jeans, purple polo, yellow and purple bowtie and complementing cardigan still looked subpar compared to the Greek god sitting nearby with crossed legs and tapping his perfectly polished bluchers in the air. He was in black slacks and a white shirt with a form fitting back vest, the collar of the shirt was left partially open to allow room for a perfectly executed silk cravat – But none of that compared to the actual man. Long graceful neck, beautiful skin, an expression that immediately indicated intelligence, hair so expertly styled Blaine had only ever seen the likes of it in magazines, and sharp blue eyes that landed on Blaine with a perfect up-tilt of an eyebrow. His expression left Blaine frozen to the spot for half a second longer than necessary.

Blaine shook himself, trying to come to his senses, as he smiled at the man and walked forward. "Kurt? Kurt Hummel?" Blaine held out his hand and the man looked at it for a moment as if he didn't want to take it before he mustered the tiniest of perfunctory smiles and shook Blaine's hand.

"Yes, I'm Kurt. You must be Blaine." Kurt looked him over, eyes stopping at his bowtie for a beat before moving on.

Blaine straightened the tie self-consciously and he took a seat across from Kurt. "We finally meet. Or meet again," Blaine said cheerfully, trying hard not to show the effect Kurt was having on him-increased heart-rate, overly warm skin, the slight edgy tickle in his throat that made it hard to talk-"My parents have wanted this to happen for years."

"Mine too."

"Can I get you something to drink?" Blaine asked, stomach turning over a bit, and he was actually nervous now; he suddenly really wanted this to go well.

Kurt lifted his brow at the coffee cup Blaine hadn't noticed on the table, "I've been here a while."

"Oh… I…" Blaine rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little foolish, "I'm so sorry. I had to get gas in the car, and I didn't mean to be late. I would have texted but I don't have your number."

Kurt just nodded coolly and Blaine was beginning to think he was missing something here.

"Um, do you need a refresher? I'm going to grab myself something."

Kurt sighed and leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Listen, Blaine, you seem… nice enough, but clearly neither of us wants to be here, so we don't actually have to keep this up."

"Wait... what?" Blaine was definitely missing something because he'd been excited about this date, even more so after seeing Kurt, so why was Kurt being so cold? "Kurt, I do want to be here." Blaine smiled at him; he knew from years of experience that even the grouchiest of people softened at his smile. Cooper called it Blaine's secret weapon, "That and your damn puppy eyes, Squirt. You can't just unleash both on someone unawares! It isn't right!"

Blaine wasn't going full-on puppy eyes, but he did know how to play to his strengths, "Kurt, we seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot." Keep smiling, he will eventually smile back! "And I'm very sorry that I'm late. Can't we start over again?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes as if thinking it over, "A non-fat mocha."

"A non-fat mocha?"

"I could use another coffee, if you're still offering." There was just the slightest upturn to Kurt's lips that made Blaine hope for a true smile soon. He bet Kurt had a gorgeous smile.

"It would be my pleasure," Blaine said, getting up from the table and hoping things were going to get easier from this point on. Kurt was an enigma-he couldn't read him at all-but Blaine was very interested in figuring him out.

He glanced back at Kurt a few times while waiting in line. Kurt had gotten out his phone and seemed to be texting someone – either that or playing Candy Crush. Kurt was going to be harder to win over than Blaine had imagined, but Blaine always liked a challenge.

He got back to the table with a coffee cup in each hand and sat down just as Kurt stood up from the table. "I'm sorry," Kurt said, taking the mocha, "But I'm going to have to go."

Blaine laughed a little, "What? Not really."

"I just got a text from an old friend I didn't know was in town and I never get to see her."

"I… okay, but..."

"I'll pay you for the coffee," Kurt said, pulling out his wallet.

"I don't care about the coffee, Kurt. I just got here… and you're leaving?"

Kurt huffed, "Oh, are you going to lecture me on the value of your time? Because I'm the one that's been waiting for you."

Blaine honestly couldn't keep up with what was happening; it was like a smack of cold water in his face after looking forward to this date. Kurt Hummel was nothing like he expected. "Wow," Blaine said, standing as well, eager to get out of there.

"Wow?"

"Yeah, just wow."

Kurt rolled his eyes, tossing a five-dollar bill on the table, "Well, I guess we can tell our parents we tried and it didn't work."

"Guess so," Blaine said coolly and watched as Kurt sauntered away. And damnit why did his ass have to look so good when he did that? Blaine was angry at him for crying out loud!

Blaine waited, watching Kurt from the window until he pulled out of the parking lot, before exiting himself, leaving the five dollars on the table for the barista.

"My god, Mercedes, he was so... so insufferable!" Kurt flopped down on her bed, kicking his shoes off. "And rude and arrogant and insufferable."

"You said that already."

"And okay, maybe I was a little stand-offish when he first got there, but he was an hour late! I was on time. I was there was there at 9:45am. And he just strolls in with this… this… smile and the bowtie! Ugh! As if he could just smile at me and get away with anything!"

"What about his bowtie?"

Kurt ran his hands through his hair, Mercedes beside him on the bed in the Jones' guest room-the room that used to be Mercedes's as a teenager. "And I was going to give him a second chance because it would make my dad happy, and because of the tea parties, and the smile, but then you texted!"

"Tea party? I thought you were meeting him for coffee?"

"I was! But he just barely shows up and then gets mad at me when I have to leave to see you. If he hadn't been late we could have already had an hour to talk before you texted."

"You didn't have to leave right then, Kurt," Mercedes said, tugging on his shirtsleeve to get his attention.

Kurt looked up at her and then scooted until he was sitting by her side, backs against the headboard.

"I was already wary of meeting up with him in the first place. I mean blind dates are the worse and there was so much pressure for us to get along. And then I waited for him for nearly an hour, getting more and more nervous. I thought he'd stood me up, Mercedes. I've never been stood up!"

"Who would dare."

"I guess when you texted me, I saw an out from an awkward situation and took it."

"Without giving him a chance."

"I gave him an hour."

"He had to have a reason for being so late. I mean, he did show up and bought you coffee and apparently there was some kind of smile that was significant? Do you think… maybe you bailed prematurely?"

Kurt looked down to his lap, already feeling embarrassed by his earlier behavior. "No."

Mercedes nudged him with an elbow.

Kurt sighed, leaning his head back on the headboard, "Maybe."

"You were offended and disappointed-I get that – but you were obviously at least a little excited about this date."

"I wasn't."

Mercedes took a long look at Kurt's outfit, the one he'd spent over an hour that morning putting together, "A little?"

"Fine," Kurt admitted, "I didn't want to go at first, but the more I thought about it, the more excited I got. I do remember him from growing up a bit. I liked him. But we were just kids and that isn't an indicator of who he is now."

Mercedes didn't say anything, but he could feel her disagreeing beside him.

"It doesn't matter anyway, I blew it. Or he blew it. Or maybe we both did."

"It's okay, Kurt; there are plenty of fish in the sea. And you, Kurt Hummel, are quite the catch yourself."

Kurt gave Mercedes a small smile and a peck on the cheek. "I love you 'Cedes."

"I know. Now you have to tell me what was going on with the smile and the bowtie …was it good? …Was it bad?"

"It was… he was adorable, Mercedes. Adorable and still somehow as hot as hell." Kurt sighed and leaned his head on the headboard.

"Oh poor Kurt."

"I don't even know what happened Coop," Blaine paced the patio in his parents' backyard, iPhone pressed against his ear, "It was like he was ready to bite my head off the moment I got there."

"How late were you?" Cooper said over the line, the sound of waves and seagulls in the background.

"Not even ten minutes! And I know that is still late, but he'd already written me off before I even sat down."

"Well, then that is that. You tried, it didn't work, end of story. The parents will just have to stop dreaming of Anderson-Hummel grandbabies."

Blaine groaned over the phone. "Mom is going to be so disappointed."

"They were putting too much pressure on you."

"Why are you being so wise and supportive right now Cooper? You're creeping me out."

"Oh ha ha. I just don't like to see you stressed, Squirt. You have to let this go."

"I am letting it go. I've let it go. It's gone."

"Uh huh…"

"It's just that I don't get it! I'm a likable guy right? People typically like me." Blaine ran his hand through his thick curls and tried to get the picture of Kurt's stunning, but clearly not interested, face out of his head.

"Yes Blaine, you are a likable guy. People like you. You could win a likable contest."

"Now you're just being sarcastic."

"Why is this bothering you so much?"

Blaine didn't answer right away, peeking his head to look through the sliding glass door and make sure his mom wasn't home yet; he wasn't ready to face her.

"Oh god. I get it now," Cooper said after a moment of silence.

"Get what?"

"He was sexy wasn't he?"

"Cooper."

"He was! He was sexy and got you all hot and bothered."

"I'm going to hang up."

"Squuuuuirt."

Blaine blew out a deep breath, "He was hot, okay? Happy now?"

Cooper laughed on the other end of the phone. "How hot was he?"

"Stupidly gorgeous," Blaine admitted, wishing he could pinpoint what went wrong that morning so he could go back and fix it.

"Awww, poor little Squirt," Cooper cooed, but it sounded like he was about to laugh again. "Soon you'll be back in New York and maybe he won't seem as hot. He was probably just Lima hot."

Blaine shook his head in disagreement, Cooper was wrong about that, "I'm sure you're right."

"I'm glad you're out there looking, though. Actually, I have someone in New York I might be able to set you up with."

"Yeah… I think I'm done with blind dates for a while." Blaine shuddered and looked back into the house as he heard the front door open and close. "Gotta go break the bad news to mom now."

Cooper laughed again. "Don't tell her you thought he was attractive, it will break her heart."

"Goodbye, Cooper," Blaine said, hanging up before his brother could say anything else. It really wasn't that bad. Kurt was just one guy, one very beautiful guy. Now to break the news to his parents.