Anchor

Kurt clutched his cell phone in his hand, his knuckles slowly turning white as he gripped harder. "Kurt, you're gunna break it if you don't loosen your grip a little bit," Finn noted, turning away from the football game on tv. Kurt was sprawled out on the couch across the room, staring at the device in his hand. He sighed, flopping onto his stomach. "Just call him."

Ever since Burt and Carole had gotten engaged, Finn had been acting more brotherly towards Kurt. They were sharing a home and spending more time together. While it was a bit strange and sudden, Kurt didn't mind it all too much.

"But what if he says no?" Kurt whined. He was always sure of himself. Except when it came to Blaine. He never knew what to do or say. He was like a jellyfish on the inside whenever he was around. Or near. Or on the phone. Or brought up in conversation. Kurt had it bad.

Finn rolled his eyes. "He's going to say yes. He's like…attached at your hip. Except right now. I'm actually surprised he's not here, jumping on the couch or something…" Finn trailed off, chuckling to himself. "No, but really. Just ask him, Kurt!"

Kurt groaned. He rolled over and hit the middle button on his speed dial. Finn turned back to the game, but turned the volume down a few notches. "Hi, Blaine," Kurt began a bit shakily. "Are you busy two weeks from Saturday? Yeah, the 28th, that's right," Kurt nodded, Blaine's side of the conversation inaudible to anyone but him. "Really?" his voice squeaked a tiny bit. "Okay, great. Fantastic. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Kurt ended the call and held his phone to his chest like it was a diamond pendant, smiling so big his eyes crinkled. "Told you so," Finn mumbled. Kurt tossed a pillow at him and they shared a laugh.

Kurt and Finn were both Burt's best man at the wedding so they were each supposed to give a speech. Kurt stood in the wing of the reception and waited for Finn to finish. He hadn't heard most of it, mainly because the sound of his heartbeat in his ears drowned out all the noise around him. That and he spent the entire speech staring longingly back at the head table where his date, Blaine, sat wide-eyed, listening to Finn speak.

Once Kurt heard applause, he knew Finn was finished and proceeded to the podium to talk about his father and new stepmother.

He cleared his throat and began, beads of sweat lining his forehead that he hoped weren't visible to the audience. "Good evening, everyone," he began. "I'll try to make this short, but sweet. I remember how happy my dad was whenever he was around my mom. And when she passed, I saw the sadness fill his entire being, draining everything he had to hold on to. But he stayed strong for me, his only son, the person he needed to be there for the most. And we were doing pretty well, getting along just fine considering. And then he met Carole. Or, rather, I forced them upon each other at a parent-teacher function," he paused as the audience chuckled. "But Carole, you have brought the light back into my father's eyes. You've showed him that happiness and love can be renewed, that two people who have lost can find each other and find themselves again. I am so happy to call myself a part of this new family with you and Finn. May the light in both of your eyes never stop shining. And may everyone here, myself included, someday find a companion, And when you find that person, you cling to them as hard as you can. Cheers!" he raised his glass of sparkling cider and beamed at the couple, nodding to his father and stepmother, before stepping down and returning to his seat between Blaine and Rachel, Finn's date.

"That was a really lovely speech, Kurt," Rachel applauded him.

"Yes, thank you, Kurt, it was wonderful," Carole added, dabbing at her eyes. Burt patted him on the back and expressed similar sentiments. Finn only smiled and winked at him as Blaine scooted his chair closer to Kurt and placed his hand over Kurt's.

"Hey," was all he said. He barely breathed, but Kurt heard it, low and quiet.

"Hi," Kurt responded in that same soft tone.

"Those were some beautiful things you said up there. That took a lot of guts," Blaine admitted, looking straight into Kurt's eyes as if they were alone in the room.

Kurt blushed and stammered a 'thank you.' A song started playing behind them and Kurt quickly grabbed Blaine's hand and led him to the dance floor before he said something stupid. "C'mon!"

Blaine followed happily, grooving to the beat as soon as he was on his feet. The song was an old funk tune from the 70s and was easy to dance to. The two boys moved to the music, holding each other's outstretched fingertips and shaking and shimmying like schoolgirls. Kurt tossed his head back in laughter, especially when Blaine tried to spin on his heels. The song gradually transitioned into a ballad and Blaine gave Kurt the 'come on, you know you want to' look and pulled him close. He was such a tease, but Kurt loved it.

"So what did you think of the wedding?" Kurt asked while they were slowly spinning.

"Fabulous," Blaine responded softly. "I'm a real sucker for weddings. I love all the sappy romantic gestures, the cheesy group dances, getting to wear a snazzy suit, the free food," he smirked. "But really, I just love being in the presence of great love stories. You can truly feel the warmth in the room, especially tonight with Burt and Carole," he smiled and gently spun Kurt out, then back in, curling him into his chest before spiraling him back to face him.

Kurt was glowing and tried to hide it. "Yeah," was all he managed.

"Your speech was really nice, Kurt," Blaine continued. "I know they appreciated it. The part at the end, though, about finding a companion and clinging to them? That really got me."

Kurt blushed again. "A wise man once shared that with me. I thought it fit."

"Definitely," Blaine agreed. The song was coming to a close; Kurt could tell by the building orchestration. They both fell quiet for a moment. Blaine broke the silence first. "Do you really believe in that?"

Kurt was caught off guard. "Of course I do. I mean, I don't know how it feels to be in a committed, loving relationship like that, but I believe it's out there for everyone," Kurt admitted, hoping Blaine would sense his hopeless romantic intentions. Or something like that.

"Oh, I totally agree," Blaine replied quickly, fumbling a bit with his words. The song had ended, but neither of them had noticed. They were lost in the moment together, slowly spinning in silence, unanswered questions hanging in the air between them. "So…" Blaine continued hesitantly. "You think everyone has that companion waiting for them?"

Kurt swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly dry. He nodded. Why was Blaine being so cryptic? What was he getting at?

Timidly Blaine dropped his hands from around Kurt's neck to his hips and drew him closer. "Wh-what…?" Kurt found himself asking, grasping for the words to finish his question.

But Blaine answered before he heard the whole thought. "I'm clinging," he replied simply, barely loud enough for Kurt to hear, pressing himself against Kurt and kissing him gently.

"Kurt! Kurt, open the door!" Blaine was pounding on the white wooden door of Kurt's childhood bedroom. Kurt had locked himself in his former room and refused to let anyone in.

"I…can't," he shouted weakly, choking back tears.

"Baby, please, just let me in. Talk to me. Please," Blaine pleaded, pressed against the door. He had loosened his bowtie and was removing his tuxedo jacket. He knew this was going to take a while. He slid down to the floor, his back against the wood of the door, and waited, listening to Kurt's breathing and sobbing behind him.

"I can't do this, Blaine. And I can't see you right now. It's bad luck," Kurt tried to explain. Yes, it was bad luck for the groom to see the…other groom? on their wedding day. Blaine was well aware—Kurt had reminded him of every custom in the book, dead-set on making their big day memorable and traditional just as he'd always imagined.

Everything was set to be perfect. The flowers were lavender, Kurt's favorite. The band was playing a mix of oldies and newer, indie tunes and Blaine was planning a special tribute song for his new beau. The backyard at the Hummel/Hudson household was set up exactly to Kurt's specifications to resemble a French garden party. The weather was cool and sunny, just as a spring day should be. But Kurt was falling apart.

"Well if you don't want to talk to me, then will you at least talk to your father? Or Carole? Or Rachel? Or even Finn?" Blaine was getting desperate. He knew Kurt sometimes got cold feet, but this was unlike him. They had been counting down the days for the past few months, Kurt marking off the days on his calendar with tiny music note stickers. What had gotten into him?

"Blaine, I…" Kurt started. "I love you, but I'm afraid." He paused and Blaine waited, ever-patiently. He wanted more than anything to curl his body around Kurt's and tell him everything would be okay, that he loved him, that they were making the right decision, but Kurt wouldn't let him. He needed to get through to him somehow.

"I love you, Kurt, more than anything in the world. And today we are getting married, in front of our family in friends, in the most perfect ceremony, and we are going to spend the rest of our lives together, happy and in love," Blaine rambled on. Kurt knew all of this. Blaine felt like he was grasping at straws for something new to say. Then he remembered.

"Happiness and love can be renewed," he began, quoting a speech from many years ago. "Two people who have lost can find each other and find themselves again."

Suddenly Kurt's tears had stopped and Blaine held his breath, hoping for the best. After a minute of silence, Blaine could make out the shuffling of feet from behind the door. The sound of the lock unlatching made Blaine's breath hitch.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked quietly, wiping tears from his eyes as he cracked the door.

"Clinging," Blaine responded, climbing to his feet. He embraced Kurt gently and kissed away the lingering tears on his fiancé's cheeks. Kurt bowed his head and smiled slowly, dropping his hand to link with Blaine's. Blaine squeezed Kurt's tightly, kissing his forehead, and lead him down the stairs and out into the yard.