Kurt wasn't foolish enough to say that he had been popular in High School, he didn't have people who wanted to be like him, he wasn't invited to all the big parties because people liked him there, no one was following him around in awe.

He wasn't popular, but he was respected, because everything had changed for Kurt in his Junior year when he'd joined the Cheerios.

The Cheerios were powerful and admired at McKinley High. And while no one cared much about that one guy kid, as a Cheerio he was at least somewhat untouchable. People may not have liked him, but they also weren't going to incur the wrath of Sue Sylvester by bothering him either. So when he started having less and less time for glee club and he had to chose between that and the Cheerios, he chose cheerleading. As much as he loved the New Directions, it didn't keep him safe in a school known for its bullying.

The Cheerios did.

Even after cheer leading took over most of his time and most of his social life, Kurt had tried to keep in touch with some of his old glee club friends. Finn was his brother after all and Rachel was his girlfriend. And of course Mercedes was his best friend even after she left the Cheerios choosing glee club when Kurt did not. It wasn't the same though; Kurt had been forced to walk a fine line with whom he could spend time with to keep people off his back. The New Directions didn't understand Kurt reluctance to do all the thing he use to with them, because as much as they got picked on back then it was nothing like the abuse Kurt had received before joining the cheer team. His red and white uniform had kept him safe.

Thinking back about how hard high school had been for him Kurt didn't really think he could be blamed for not noticing one random guy who joined the glee club after he left. It wasn't because Kurt thought he was better than anyone, not really, it was just… other people might think that and if Kurt spent too much time with the wrong crowd High School would have gone back to being hell for him. That's what he kept telling himself at least.

"You don't remember Blaine?" Mercedes asked as they sat on the couch in Kurt's New York apartment.

"I'm sorry." Kurt shrugged. "I probably would if I saw a picture of him."

"No, no." Mercedes shook her head. "You don't understand. Blaine Anderson, you have to remember him?"

"Why Mercedes? He was in Glee club after I left. I didn't get to know all the new kids."

"But you went to all or our competitions."

"To support Finn."

"We had that one New Year's Eve party at your house. Blaine was at that!" Mercedes insisted.

Kurt stopped to consider that. He really didn't think he remembered meeting Mercedes' friend from glee club.

"The only guy I remember from that party that I didn't already know was this little, kind of nerdy kid. He had a bowtie on?" Kurt couldn't help but smile at the memory. This kid had been a grade below him and for as much as a nerd as he was, very low on the Mckinley High ranking of who warranted the time of day, he'd been cute and sweet. Kurt had thought about him fondly from time to time since High School, if only because he'd been the first guy to ever ask Kurt out on a date.

"Oh my gosh." Mercedes said playfully hitting Kurt with a couch pillow. "That was Blaine."

"No." Kurt shook his head. "I mean this guy was cute but the Blaine you are talking about is a model now, right?"

"Kurt Hummel, you are going to be so sorry you didn't pay him more attention." Mercedes said with a grin.

She'd come over that afternoon and greeted Kurt with a hug and an, "Oh my god! You won't believe who I ran into!" And then launched into this whole story about how she'd run into a former New Directions member at the coffee shop and now he was a big time model and "Absolutely gorgeous. Kurt, I'd want to lick things off his body if I didn't know he was 100% gay."

"But the bowtie kid", which is what Kurt had been calling him all these years in his head, "Was short and dorky and he had this crazy unruly hair."

"Kurt I'm telling you Blaine Anderson is bowtie kid and he grew up fine as hell. I can't believe you don't remember him. He had a huge crush on you in High School. I mean he probably had whole journals devoted to his unwavering love for you."

Kurt blushed remembering how bowtie kid, or Blaine as it would seem, had asked him out. All shy smiles, and nervous laughter.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating Mercedes."

"You really didn't know?"

"No I mean… He did ask me out once."

Mercedes eyes grew round and she dropped the pillow she was about to smack Kurt with again. "He did not."

"Yeah, we talked at the New Years party and then one day at school after winter break he came right up to me at my locker one day, with other Cheerios standing right there and asked me on a date. It was actually really gutsy of him."

"Kurt. What did you say?"

Kurt thought back to that afternoon. Standing with Santana and some other Cheerio he'd long forgotten the name of, Brittany might have been there too or maybe Quinn, he didn't remember. They were talking about an upcoming competition and bowt- Blaine had walked up, wearing slacks and a vest over a red polo and an adorable bowtie.

"Um… Hi Kurt." He was blushing up to his ears and kept looking down on to the ground like keeping eye contact with Kurt was too difficult.

Kurt had been immediately charmed, but with the Cheerios standing right there he couldn't let on.

Blaine had hemmed and hawed for a little while and Santana had said something probably rude that made the other girls laugh. Finally Blaine had gotten it out.

"I had a really good time talking with you at your party last week and was just wondering, I mean you probably don't and I don't even know if you have a boyfriend or not, because your you and am sure a ton of people want to go out with you, so if its a no that's okay, but maybe um… I wanted to ask if you'd like to go get coffee with me sometime?"

Blaine's name may not have stuck with Kurt but the nervous invitation spoken all in one fearful breath did. No one had ever asked Kurt out before; a lonely High School Senior who'd hadn't even held another guy's hand before remembered that kind of thing.

Kurt had turned the invitation down though. He often wondered if he hadn't been asked right in front of people who would have mocked him for saying yes if things would have turned out differently. As it was though Blaine had asked in front of a group of Cheerios and Kurt, if he remembered correctly, said something self-important like, "I don't go on dates with Sophomores."

He had regretted it immediately, but that had been the end of it. Blaine the bowtie boy had never asked again and Kurt never really took much notice of him.

"Kurt." Mercedes called pulling him out of his memories. "Blaine actually asked you out and you said…" She motioned with her hand as if to say go on.

"No. I said No." Kurt answered, that was nearly 5 years ago and suddenly Kurt felt guilty over it. He'd been a jerk, the kind of person he'd always hated, someone who did look down on someone else just because they weren't 'cool' enough.

"I can't believe Blaine never told me that. I mean… It was Senior year and I was busy and we did start drifting apart. Poor kid."

"It sounds like things turned out alright for him."

"I'd say!" Mercedes smiled and reached for her purse pulling out a magazine. "When Blaine said he was modeling I asked him if he'd been in anything I would have seen." Mercedes started flipping through the pages. "He said he just did a spread for a blue jean ad… and… here it is!" Mercedes held the magazine against her chest so that Kurt couldn't see inside. "Are you ready for this?"

"I think I can handle one blue jean ad. I'm in fashion, I work with models.."

"Okay fine, but remember this is the guy you turned down." With a flourish Mercedes turned the magazine around and placed it in Kurt's lap.

It took a beat, Kurt looking down at the blue jean ad with a shirtless man leaning up against a wooden fence out in some sweeping mountain landscape somewhere.

Kurt's jaw dropped as he took the picture in. Because here, with softly curling dark hair against tan skin and a toned body and jeans hung so low on his waist it was almost obscene... was Blaine Anderson. He looked nothing like how Kurt remembered bowtie boy from High School, except… when Kurt finally pulled his eyes up from his firm abs and toned arms there was something of young Blaine in his face. His golden eyes and pouted mouth. God, he was gorgeous.

"Earth calling Kurt." Kurt glanced up from the magazine to see Mercedes texting on her phone, she glanced up at him and wiggled her eyebrows. "Didn't I say he was delicious?"

Kurt just looked at her and then down at the magazine again not knowing what to say. Mercedes laughed. "And he is as sweet as he ever was. He hasn't let his success get to his head. This morning at the coffee shop he insisted on buying my latte and asked me all kinds of questions about how I was, and he really cared. He's a doll".

Kurt glanced at the low slung jeans again that left little to the imagination as to what was going on under there and wetted his lips. "Well fuck me."

Mercedes laughed again. "Don't you wish."

Kurt looked up at his friend. "I should have gone out with him, I've always thought so."

"Well, I guess it's your lucky day because guess who I'm texting right now and who would love to meet the both of us for coffee tomorrow?

"Wait. What?" Kurt asked his face flushing.

"We are having coffee with Blaine tomorrow, you should start planning what you're wearing now."

Kurt had been nervous all day about getting together with Mercedes and Blaine. So much so that he ended up getting to the coffee place a little early. He went ahead and ordered to give his hands something to do as he sat and waited. The more he thought about this the more he realized it was a terrible idea.

He'd been a jerk to Blaine in school, why would he think grown up Blaine would want to meet him again? He was probably just coming to be polite to Mercedes who he'd actually been friends with back at McKinley.

Kurt was just thinking of a way to get out of this when his phone buzzed with an incoming message he looked down to read a text from Mercedes.

So sorry to bail on you Kurt, but I can't make it after all!

Kurt stared at the text in disbelief before texting back

Mercedes Jones you have to come! Don't leave me alone with him!

Sorry hon! Was the only response Kurt got back.

Maybe he could just go, slip out before Blaine got here. But he didn't want to ditch him, that was just too mean.

The little bell above the shop door rang and Kurt looked up to see a dark mop of curls... and then as a stranger got out Kurt's view he saw that it was Blaine Anderson. He was considerably more dressed than in his ad, dark brown slacks and a green and yellow plaid shirt that fit him snugly enough to show off his sculpted chest, and oh my god, a yellow bowtie.

Kurt tried to swallow down his nerves as he watched Blaine look around the coffee shop. Kurt cleared his throat and raised his hand waving. "Blaine?"

Blaine met Kurt's glance and smiled and Kurt's stomach flip over. Oh this was bad. Kurt hadn't this way about someone just smiling at him in a long time.

Blaine came over to the table and held out his hand. "Kurt Hummel?"

"Yes. Hi!" Kurt said overly excited as he stood and took Blaine's hand.

They both sat down and Blaine smiled. "So Mercedes is on her way?"

"No. Did she not message you? Um… Mercedes isn't going to be able to make it."

This already wasn't going well.

"Oh." Blaine said and then they both sat in silence for an awkward moment.

"So Kurt, tell me about yourself then?" Blaine asked pleasantly and Kurt tried to relax.

He told Blaine about attending Parson's school of design and how he worked at Vogue now, but he hoped one day to have his own line. Blaine was polite and interested and charming. Hanging on Kurt's every word. Kurt learned that Blaine had gone to NYC and only started modeling to pay some bills and then… well it just took off.

Kurt found the longer they talked the more at ease he felt and Mercedes had been right, Blaine was gorgeous, but he was also very sweet and a great conversationalist, Kurt was enjoying himself immensely.

"I can't believe we're both in New York after all this time." Kurt said. "Here we are at the same place and time again."

"Again?" Blaine asked lifting his brow

"Well, yes… you know the first time since High School."

"Oh yeah." Blaine nodded and Kurt tried not to stare at his long dark eyelashes. "Mercedes mentioned we all went to school together back in the day."

Kurt's lips parted but nothing came out.

Blaine didn't remember him.

Oh god, here Kurt was talking to Blaine like an old friend and Blaine didn't even remember him. So much for journals full of his unwavering love.

"Oh." Kurt cleared his throat. "Yeah." Suddenly Kurt wanted to be anywhere but here. He'd been so stupid thinking Blaine would actually remember him and the crush he'd had on him. Kurt started getting up from the table. "You know I should be-" He fumbled while picking up his cup and spilt his drink all over the table. "Oh crap. I'm so clumsy." Kurt said trying to mop op his drink with the one napkin he had.

"Oh no, not at all." Blaine stood and grabbed some napkins from the milk and sugar bar. "Here let me help."

"I should… I should go." Kurt said. "Um... I tell Mercedes to give you a call, I know she's the one you wanted to see today." Kurt was soaking up the mess on the table not looking Blaine in the eyes.

"Kurt." Blaine said putting his hand on top of Kurt's to still him. "Kurt it was great running into Mercedes but I came today to see you."

Kurt looked up at Blaine's lovely hazel eyes. "But you don't even remember me."

"That was silly of me." Blaine said. "I was trying to… save face. Of course I remember you Kurt."

"You… do?."

Blaine sat back down at the table and motioned for Kurt to do the same. "I was a little nervous about seeing you again." Blaine admitted rubbing the back of his neck and smiling adorably. "I was just trying to seem cooler than I am, but yes. How could I forget Kurt Hummel?"

Kurt smiled and blushed a little. "I'm not sure I want you to remember all of it."

"What do you mean?"

"I was kind of a jerk to you." Kurt sighed, watching Blaine closely to see how he'd react to Kurt bringing up that incident.

"Wow. Kurt, that's not how I remember you at all. You were really nice to me in High School."

"I was?" Kurt asked confused.

"Yes. Once some kid purposely ran into me and hit my books out of my hand and you stopped to help me pick them up. Another time a few of the jocks had me cornered by my locker and I was scared they were going to do more than slushie me and you walked by with some quip about their intelligence and how hey should hurry and not miss anymore of their next class because they needed it. You… you were really nice to me."

"I…" Kurt blinked. He didn't even remember doing those things. He did remember trying to use what little clout he had to help kids that were being teased, but he had no idea he'd made such an impression on Blaine.

"And at your New Years party you talked to me when none of the other cool kids there would give me the time of day." Blaine looked at Kurt and blushed and then looked down, his eyelashes fanning his face. "I had a huge crush on you."

Kurt couldn't hide his grin. "I remember talking to you at the party. I enjoyed it. And I remember you asking me out…"

Blaine looked back up and shrugged. "Well, I knew at the time it was a long shot, but I had to go for it. You were the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. And Really Kurt? You're even more gorgeous now."

Kurt laughed, a pleasant fluttery feeling in his belly.

"It's a few years late, but how about I go replace your drink, this is could be that coffee date I missed out on with you in High School." Blaine suggested.

"Or... " Kurt said with his best smile. "I could take you out to dinner instead. To make up for the mistake of ever turning you down in the first place." Kurt's heart was in his throat, hoping against everything that karma didn't bite him by making Blaine say no.

"A date?" Blaine asked.

"Yes. Absolutely."

"I would love that Kurt." Blaine said his eyes crinkling in a smile.

Kurt was ecstatic and as they went out to the street to head to dinner and Kurt go a text from Mercedes

How's it going?

You didn't really have anything come up this afternoon did you?

Nope. Just wanted you to have a second chance at him.

You're the best friend in the world.

I know. ;)

Kurt looked up from his phone as Blaine held out his hand, Kurt took it with a smile. Thank god for second chances.