When Blaine ran into Sheila in the hall on the way to his office, he stopped her, unsure of what had prompted him to do so. His mind had been on nothing but Kurt and the impending date, and perhaps a friendly, familiar face would bring him some comfort.

"Hey, um, how have you been?" he asked cordially.

"I've been good."

"That's good to hear."

An awkward silence hung in the air between them.

"Listen, I - can I ask you for advice about something?"

She wrapped her arms around herself and jerked her head to flip her long, dark hair over her shoulder. "Sure. What is it?"

"There's this g-girl I know, and I think I'm really starting to like her," he began. Sheila seemed to relax, and her interest was piqued.

"Oh, I see," she said. "So what do you think I could help you with?"

"I want to take her out, but I'm having a hard time gathering the courage. I don't know where to take her, and I want it to be, well, intimate."

"I'm sure wherever you take her, she'll love it," Sheila nearly purred, her eyes softening.

"You really think so?"

"I know so. You're really charming, Blaine, and any girl would be lucky to have you regardless of where you take her. However, may I suggest Buvette on Grove Street? It's one of my favorite haunts, but I don't get to go there very often. It's French cuisine. The wine menu is to die for and goes on for days. The atmosphere is nice too, or, intimate as you'd have it."

"Okay. Thank you." He was quiet in contemplation for a moment. "That sounds good. I think I know what I need to do now."

"Good luck," she said, beaming. "And buy her flowers. That works wonders."

"Thank you again, Sheil," and he turned to enter the doorway of his office, looking back once at her with a smile before leaving her sight.

Once inside his office, Blaine realized how much of a liar he was becoming, too afraid to even mention Elle and of course not Kurt. Sheila had seemed genuine during their encounter, and he was glad there were no hard feelings between them. Blaine thought about everything she'd said. He wasn't really taking a woman out, but would her advice still apply? He couldn't be sure.

But then it hit him, and his head snapped up. What if he hadn't been lying? What if he took Elle out, took Kurt out as his female persona? He felt crazy for thinking it, but no one had to know that Kurt was a man. He was passable, his beauty and feminine mystique very convincing, and Blaine knew he himself had been passing his entire life. So he'd take a woman out after all like a normal man. He would just have to take the risk and ask.

-s-

"I didn't expect you to come in before you texted me about the date," Elle said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I wanted to see you and ask you out in person," Blaine said, exuding a strange confidence he'd not possessed before.

"You're asking me out? Moi?" She pressed her hand against her chest.

"Yes. I want to take you out somewhere nice, somewhere quiet," Blaine said. "Buvette in the West Village? Or would you prefer Italian or Thai...?"

"Buvette sounds lovely," she said, batting her fake lashes, which had tiny rhinestones in them this evening.

"I have a strange request though," Blaine said, growing quiet. He wasn't sure how Kurt would take this, and he really hoped that he wouldn't upset him.

"What is it?"

"I'm asking you out, Elle," Blaine said.

Elle quirked a perfectly penciled eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Is it weird if I admit to you that it's sort of a kink of mine?"

Elle paused, pursing her lips in contemplation. "So what you're saying is that you want to go out with me but not really with me?"

"No, I want to take you on a date, but it's a turn on when you're in drag," Blaine said, his voice growing gruff.

"I've never had a guy ask me to do that before," Elle said. But after another a moment of amused reverie, she smiled wide, almost impishly. "What time will you be picking me up, loverboy?" Elle asked.

"Tomorrow night at seven?" Blaine said, gaining a bit more confidence.

"I can't wait for you to wine and dine me. I'll be dressed to kill, and I expect you to be on time. You can't keep a lady waiting after all. Clearly, you aren't bothered by a woman who's taller than you. Perhaps I will do you a favor and not wear heels," Elle said.

"You're beautiful no matter what you wear," Blaine said. "I'll wear a suit and tie and be the perfect gentleman. I'll even buy you flowers."

"I'm impressed. How romantic. But know that I might not kiss on the first date," Elle said. "A proper lady doesn't." She winked.

Blaine couldn't believe Kurt was agreeing to all of this. He had thought it so farfetched when he came up with the idea in the first place, and now here Kurt was playing along, roleplaying along flawlessly.

He might let himself feel guilty about it later, but he knew that Kurt was beautiful enough to pass as a woman, and then maybe he could date Kurt without it appearing like he was out with a man, thus keeping his cover intact.

"You promised to tell me about yourself the next time I saw you, and here you are," Elle said. "But I'm up in a few, so I'll take a raincheck. You better not run out on me, honey."

"I won't," Blaine said.

"Good."

Two drinks and five songs later, the room was spinning around Blaine's head and Elle was seated across from him, batting her long, glittering lashes, her chin balanced on her hands, elbows resting on the tabletop.

"So, mystery man, where are you from?" Elle asked.

"You've probably never heard of it," Blaine said.

"Try me."

"Westerville, Ohio," Blaine said.

"No way," Elle nearly gasped, her eyes narrowing playfully. "I'm from Ohio, too. A sad little town called Lima."

"You're lying."

"I'm being completely honest. You think I could make something up like that?"

"I guess not," Blaine said.

"Well, well, well," Elle said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat. "What are the odds? We could have crossed each others' paths and never knew it."

"I don't know, I guess it's possible."

"Isn't it liberating to be in a place like New York after being somewhere so drab?"

"Yeah." Blaine didn't feel liberated at all. He was still playing a game of hide and seek where he locked himself in the closet, never wanting to be found. A change of scenery didn't mean anything, Blaine would always be a prisoner to himself, and he knew it.

"On to my next question," Elle said.

"Is this an interview?"

"Yes." She grinned. "You're vying for the spot of most eligible bachelor," Elle leaned in and stage whispered behind her hand, "but between you and me, you have no competition."

"That's good to know," Blaine played along.

"What brought you to New York?"

"College. Columbia."

"Oh, a scholar?" Elle said, lifting her eyebrows in impressed intrigue. "What did our genius go to those ivy-covered walls for?"

"This sorry bastard went for economics," Blaine said grimly.

"I'm sorry I asked," Elle said, her smile disappearing.

"No, I'm sorry." Blaine scrubbed at his face with his hand. "It wasn't a bad experience at all, it was just where my father went, so, I'm sure you know how it is."

"I'm sure it was worth it for the value of the education."

"Of course, and now I work at the prestigious bank of JPMorgan Chase, handling loan accounts," Blaine said. "It's exciting work."

"It sounds like it," she said, returning his sarcasm. "So, you care a lot about what your dad thinks, huh."

"Yeah." Blaine lifted his glass to drink the last sips of his beer almost out of reflex.

"My shift is almost over," Elle said. "Do you want me to call a cab? We could share it. You'll need to know where to pick me up tomorrow anyway."

"Yeah, I think it's probably a good idea to get home. I need to be energized for tomorrow."

"This was kinda like a first date right here," Elle said, rising from her seat. "That would technically make tomorrow our second date, and there could be a kiss in it for you."

Blaine felt heat trickle up into his already warm face, and his eyes strayed to Kurt's lipsticked mouth. Elle - he could kiss Elle goodnight, and, oh, how he had longed to place his hands on her, on Kurt...and then Blaine closed his eyes tightly, swallowed thickly, and then looked back at Elle with a small nod.

-s-

"This is me," Kurt said as the cab pulled over at the curb.

"Huh?" Blaine glanced around the dark interior of the car until his eyes rested and focused in on the man beside him.

"My apartment, silly," Kurt said, grabbing Blaine's hand with a quick, gentle squeeze before letting go just as quickly. Kurt pulled a twenty from his wallet and stuffed it into Blaine's limp, heavy hand, closing his fingers around it. Then he opened the door to climb out.

"Goodnight, Blaine," Kurt said just before closing the door.

"'Night."

His world was swimming in and out of focus, but once he stepped out into the cool night air at the cab's final destination, Blaine's head felt a little clearer. He recognized his apartment building and made his way inside for the evening, albeit with little to no grace.