Rachel was sitting in front of the large mirror that hangs above her vanity brushing her soft brown hair when she heard the doorbell. She barely paused to think of who it could be considering visitors had been all over the house all day. Her dad's were planning a large after party so the caterers and decorators had been coming through constantly.
She was suddenly whisked out of her daydreaming when she heard a soft, rapid knock on her door. No one is supposed to come up here, she thought to herself.
"Who is it?" she yelled out in her most cheerful voice. If there was one thing her Broadway idol Patti Lupone had taught her it was to always have class and keep your irritation discreet.
"Guess who?" a soft, charming voice cried out from the other side of the door. Rachel's eyes widened and she quickly ran over to the door, swinging it open (gracefully, of course).
"Kurt! What are you doing here?" Kurt Hummel, one of Rachel's dearest friends was standing in her doorway wearing a black tux that was completed with a white dress shirt and powder blue satin tie. She glanced toward the bottom of his jacket and noticed a satin trim on the top edges of the pockets that matched Kurt's tie. He must've done that himself, she thought to herself happily.
"Rachel Berry, you look stunning, but that is no way to greet a man in a tux," he said sternly with a hint of playfulness in his voice as he placed his right hand on his hip. "Don't mind if I come in." Kurt said this last bit nonchalantly as Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled while closing the door behind him. When she turned back around Kurt was sitting in front of the mirror she has just been occupying, fidgeting with his hair. Great minds think alike, she thought to herself with a smirk.
"I thought for sure you would've been leaving for the auditorium with Blaine," Rachel said casually as she sat on the end of her bed which also faced the mirror. Kurt was now fiddling with his jacket sleeves as he said, "Well, that was my intention, but he called me at the crack of dawn to tell me he would meet me in the auditorium. Of course he couldn't have waited till the afternoon to call. I need my beauty sleep you know."
Kurt looked at Rachel through the mirror as if this last statement should've been obvious. She knew it to be, but she also knew that Blaine was his perkiest first thing in the morning. This wasn't the first time Kurt had complained about this quirk of Blaine's. "You know that's one of the reasons why you love him, Kurt, even if it does make you crazy." He diverted his gaze away from her as his cheeks slowly began to flush.
"Why does he want to meet you at the auditorium instead?" She got up and sat next to Kurt. He rummaged through the drawer closest to him and handed something to her. It was a tube of lipstick. "Wear the lighter color, it'll bring out your eyes." She took it from him and looked at his reflection in the mirror, but he wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Oh, Kurt, come on, what's the big deal?" Kurt heaved a dramatic sigh, "Blaine said that he wants it to be as if it were our wedding." When Rachel gave him a quizzical look he rolled his eyes and waved his hands in the air, "You know the whole 'it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding' thing."
Rachel continued her confused expression, "Kurt that's adorable. I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you're upset and bothered by this."
Kurt got up and walked over to Rachel's window. She turned on the stool so she could face him and watched as he delicately pulled back one of her sheer green curtains and looked down toward the path to the house where the caterers were no doubt carrying the trays of food. She heard him mumble something about the proper serving of caviar before he turned to her sadly. "It makes me upset," he began slowly, "because it's just another reminder that Blaine and I will never be able to get married."
Rachel knew all too well the way things were in the world these days. If you're straight you're accepted, if you're gay you're shunned. It hurt her to think that someday she and Finn could marry, but Kurt and Blaine could only go as far as vowing to each other in privacy that they would always remain together.
She looked up at Kurt and patted the space next to her. He slumped down in a gentle whoosh and she placed her hand on top of his. "Things will change soon Kurt. It may not happen today or tomorrow, but eventually everyone will accept that what you and Blaine and every other gay couple have is real."
Kurt continued to stare down at his lap and sighed, taking in what Rachel had just said. Deep down in his heart he knew she was right, but then he shook his head quickly and snapped himself out of the fantasy. "How can you be so sure, Rachel? You don't know what the congressmen of this country let alone this state will decide if it ever enters their stiff minds."
"No," Rachel said softly, "I don't. But I do have hope and the belief that change will come. You just have to have some courage, Kurt."
Kurt smirked. "You sounded just like Blaine when you said that."
Rachel smiled, glad to see she was able to cheer her friend up to some extent. She leaned her head down (since Kurt was still staring at his lap) so she could look him in the eyes. "Because Blaine has courage too, Kurt. And no matter what he's never going to let you go." Kurt squeezed her hand and she noticed his eyes had begun to water. He inhaled slowly as he finally lifted his head. "I'm never going to let him go either."