"Don't you think Thomas is adorable?" Rachel gushed as they were getting ready for bed. "Mrs. Rachel Anderson… it sounds perfect, right? Thomas just seems so worldly and mature, nothing like Finn or Puck or the other boys."

"Yes Rachel, I imagine he would seem more mature, considering he's almost thirty." Kurt had never understood his friend's occasional infatuations with older men, but he was too engrossed in his own thoughts to give it much thought now.

Try as he might to pay attention to Thomas earlier that night, Kurt couldn't seem to keep his focus from wandering over to the curly-haired boy sitting next to him. He really wasn't sure why – all he'd seen Blaine so far pointed to him being a rude, obnoxious flirt – yet Kurt also couldn't seem to control the stirring in his pants when their eyes met over the table. Or when his traitorous mind pictured the slight growl in Blaine's voice when he had spoken in Kurt's ear, how hungry he'd sounded for… something. The fifth time Blaine caught him looking, Kurt downed the rest of his drink and turned to Rachel.

"Be right back." She nodded, still gazing adoringly at Thomas.

When Kurt got back from the restroom, Thomas had already dismissed the group to get a good night's rest before starting early the next day. Kurt felt Blaine's eyes on him as he tugged Rachel away from Thomas with a brief "good night" to everyone and hurried out of the pub.

"Kurt, what was that about? I was just about to tell him about the solo I performed at our graduation!"

Kurt paused, waiting for the elevator to hit their floor. "I was just really – really tired," he fumbled. "Jet lag, you know."

Rachel still looked curious, but one remark from Kurt about Thomas was all it took to distract her again. He rushed through his nighttime skin care while she prattled on, all the while arguing with his hormones that he was absolutely, unequivocally not attracted to arrogant pricks like Blaine. By the time he collapsed into bed, Kurt almost had himself convinced.

The next day, he dressed as comfortably as he dared for their "walk around London" day – tight white jeans, canvas slides, and a pink v-neck fitted tee. Thomas and Blaine were meeting the group in the hotel lobby at 8am, and Kurt decided a cup of coffee sounded a lot appealing while he was waiting for Rachel dress in some ridiculous-looking ensemble. He hurried to the lobby café, ordered his usual non-fat mocha latte, and was just reaching into his wallet for some money when –

"Sure you don't want to try a nice Earl Gray with milk?"

For the second time in less than 12 hours, Kurt swiveled around to look into the arrogantly smiling face of Blaine Anderson. "For your information," Kurt said with a haughty sniff, "I don't have to try every single drink native to each new country I visit. Coffee is sacred."

Blaine smiled wider. "Agreed." Leaning around Kurt, he placed his order with the waitress, "Medium drip, please, and put his latte on my tab."

Kurt's eyes widened as he tried to argue but Blaine insisted, calling it was an apology for the night before. "Look, I feel bad. At the bar… I was kind of rude, definitely kind of forward, and – I dunno, I thought maybe we could just start over? We're going to be seeing a lot of each other over the next few weeks, you know. It'd be nice to get along," he said with a grin.

Kurt glared at him suspiciously, but accepted the boy's offer without another word. They stood in awkward silence for a moment while waiting on their coffees.

"So, Kurt," Blaine said, clearing his throat as the waitress handed them their drinks, "You're from Ohio, right?"

Kurt looked at him in surprise. "How'd you know that?"

"I might have asked Tom for a few details last night… about everyone of course," he added with a devious grin. "I mean, it's good to know something about the people you're traveling with."

Kurt wasn't sure if he should feel flattered or slightly creeped out that Blaine had inquired after him. "Well… what else did you find out, Detective Anderson?"

Blaine grinned again. "Kurt Hummel, 18 years old. From some town in Ohio that I can't remember the name of, heading to NYU in the fall, I think," he said with a slight frown of concentration. "And… oh yeah, has a very anxious father," he added with a smirk.

I knew Dad was emailing Thomas! "Yeah, Dad can be a handful sometimes, but he's great really… I don't know what I would do without him," he said wistfully.

Almost out of nowhere, Kurt was hit with the realization that he was away from home – really away – for the first time ever. Not the time, not in front of him. With a slight shake of his head, he changed the subject quickly. "What about you, Blaine?"

"What about me?"

"Well, I know you can be kind of rude." Blaine glanced over, and it was Kurt's turn to smirk lightly at him. "And I know you're not from England, despite all your so-called local expertise. Neither you or your brother have an accent."

"Look who's the detective now, Nancy Drew." Blaine grinned at Kurt. "Okay, Blaine Anderson, 19 years old – but I'm turning 20 in about a week. From San Francisco, where I lived with my parents until I finished high school last year. I wasn't… quite ready to start college right away, so Mom and Dad gave me the ok to come live with Tom for a while as a graduation present. He's been in London for a few years and started the company two years ago, so I guess they figured he's responsible enough to keep me away from any real shenanigans."

"Are you a troublemaker, Blaine?" asked Kurt with a cocked eyebrow.

Blaine eyed him with a grin for a few moments before answering. "Depends on who you ask."

Kurt shrugged and let the subject drop, taking a sip from his latte. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Blaine Anderson. The boy had piqued his interest, and the apology was a nice touch… but something about him also made Kurt slightly uncomfortable. He had to admit, he was grateful to see Thomas enter the hotel and head towards them. A quick glance at his watch told Kurt that the others should be there soon as well.

"So, you and Rachel," Blaine leaned over flirtatiously as his brother approached. "She's not your… girlfriend, is she?"

"Rachel?" Kurt shot Blaine an incredulous look. He was about to bark out a laugh and snarky remark, but he stopped himself at the last moment. Golden opportunity for a fullproof avoidance plan, all systems go. Kurt took a deep breath.

"Yep, we're dating."

The cocky smirk vanished, and Kurt almost wanted to laugh at the look of pure disbelief on Blaine's face in the split second before Thomas walked up. "Morning guys!" He looked back and forth between the two boys, Kurt sipping his latte nonchalantly while his brother stared incredulously at Kurt. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, apparently," Blaine muttered under his breath. Kurt smiled into his cup as he took another drink.

Rachel arrived in the lobby just a few minutes later, and Kurt managed to snag her just before she hurried breathlessly over to Thomas.

"Rachel, I don't have time to explain and God knows this wasn't part of my plan for the perfect vacation, but you and I need to be in love, like immediately."

Rachel opened her mouth, "Wha—"

"Seriously, no time. I promise I'll explain later but please, for now, I need you to find me irresistible. And try not to drool all over some other guy," Kurt said with a glance at Thomas as they walked up to the group.

His friend looked at him, nodded briefly, and determinedly grabbed Kurt's hand in her own. When they reached everyone, Kurt's hello was cut off as Rachel flung her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the mouth. Oh my god, this is the single worst idea I've ever had, Kurt thought as Rachel's lips enthusiastically attacked his face. He gently pushed her away, trying his best to pass off the look on his face as embarrassed semi-arousal rather than pure disgust. Most of the adults looked at the pair fondly ("Young love," Kurt thought he heard someone say), but Blaine just stared blankly at them. Kurt cleared his throat.

"Ah, so what's on the agenda for today?"

Thomas went over their general plans for the day, and they set off. Despite Kurt's earlier request, Rachel insisted they stay near Thomas at the front of the group to hear his comments on the tour (though she continued to grope Kurt's hand for show), closely the followed by the adults. Blaine and Travis brought up the rear. It wasn't until Kurt noticed Blaine and Travis together that he even remembered Thomas' remark the night before about his little brother "tagging along to keep the kid company." The teen had looked just as miserable when he arrived with his parents in the lobby as he had the night before, but apparently Blaine had experience with this brand of teenage resentment because he had Travis smiling in a matter of minutes. By the time lunch rolled around, the teen was practically howling with laughter and Kurt couldn't help glancing back at the pair. Blaine was gesturing wildly at something, talking animatedly as Travis guffawed next to him. All of a sudden Blaine looked up and caught Kurt's eye. His expression shifted slightly, and his eyes darted to Kurt's hand, still enveloped in Rachel's. Kurt followed his gaze. When he peeked back up at Blaine, the curly-haired boy wasn't looking in his direction.