Author's Note: Hey all… so this is one of my favorite scenes I've written for this story. I had fun with it, and I hope you enjoy it, too. It's a bit more fast-paced than the previous three chapters, I think. As always, reviews of any size, shape, and color would be appreciated hugely! :D

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the show Glee.

~Chapter 4~

The few days Kurt spent preparing the duet with Blaine passed by in a blur. By Thursday afternoon, Kurt was sure that they both knew the song inside and out. Plus, he got the feeling that they were about to make quite an impression on their teammates; this was, after all, not exactly the typical Warbler song selection. It was a unique, beautiful, meaningful piece of music, and the fact that Kurt had been given a chance to sing it with Blaine just made it all the more personal for him. So, when the day came to perform the song, Kurt was determined to make everything turn out perfectly.

"Ready to duet with Lover Boy later?" Miles inquired as he and Kurt made their way through the dining hall with trays of food in hand.

Kurt rolled his eyes, fighting to contain the excitement he felt bubbling just beneath the surface. Miles had been joking around like this since the plan for Kurt and Blaine to sing together had been established. Apparently, he was thoroughly convinced that "singing a duet" was code for "exchanging romantic affection." Kurt told him to stop over-analyzing.

Still…there was something about the way that Blaine had been looking at him lately, Kurt considered as he caught sight of the dark-haired boy across the room. He was sure his heart would melt; it only took a moment for Blaine to turn and meet his eyes, smiling in a way that was far too warm and open and gorgeous for Kurt to even begin to wrap his thoughts around.

"Kurtio, I hate to interrupt the dreamy staring moment you're having with the Boy over there, but we're kind of holding up the flow of traffic."

Kurt startled as Miles' voice tossed him back into reality. Glancing over his shoulder to the rather annoyed-looking cluster of boys waiting in line to collect their dinner, Kurt blushed and ducked out of the way. Miles followed, walking towards their usual table by the windows. "I've got to admit it, buddy… Lover Boy is hot. And you've got it bad. Something's gotta give."

Kurt sighed, sliding into the seat across from Miles, and immediately started to pick at his salad. Apparently, his private feelings were becoming more and more obvious to the outside world with every passing second. It would only be a matter of time before even Blaine could read him like an open book. He had to wonder, though, if things would be easier that way, if Blaine could really see what was on his heart. How would it feel to be that close to someone that recognizing even their most secret thoughts and emotions became second-nature?

"Dude! Stop spacing out on me!"

Kurt looked up at Miles in surprise. He hadn't realized how quickly he had lost himself in thought again. "Sorry," he replied meekly, offering a little apologetic shrug. "Thinking again."

Miles smirked and rolled his eyes. "About Lover Boy," he stated unquestioningly. "My God, don't ever make me peer in at the things inside that hormonal little head of yours, okay?"

Kurt blushed again, dropping his eyes to the table. Was he really that awful? Surely his heart and mind were involved in this to some extent, not just his unfortunately teenaged body. He had to believe that his emotions were more than just a stereotypical little phase. After all, if he couldn't even take himself seriously, how in the world was he supposed to handle the situation with Blaine?

"Buddy, I'm joking," Miles assured him. "Now if you can focus on what I'm saying for all of two seconds, I was trying to tell you about my ingenious plan."

Kurt moved his fork to stab at a cherry tomato, keeping a curious eye on his friend. "We're going to get you a date with Lover Boy," Miles said.

Kurt nearly choked. "Excuse me?" he asked incredulously.

"You heard me," Miles replied. "I've got it all worked out. See, this weekend there's going to be a nice little performance of Moulin Rouge in the park next to Crawford County Day. I figured that because some of the student actresses have been thinking about starting up a Glee club at our sister school, you can use it as an excuse to scope out the competition, when in fact-" Miles paused for effect, grinning mischievously. "You'll be enjoying a little moonlit cuddlefest with the Boy."

Kurt raised his eyebrows, watching as Miles- whom now looked quite pleased with himself- returned to his food. What Kurt really wanted to admit was that he had been out with Blaine to watch musicals plenty of times. Sitting side-by-side in the dark to focus on anyone but each other seemed to be well within their comfort zone. So, Kurt wondered, how could he make the sudden decree to call anything of that nature a "date," and how the heck was he supposed to enjoy himself knowing that the grass they would be sitting on would ruin whatever he decided to wear that night? It couldn't work.

"Miles, I'm not sure if-" Kurt began slowly. But the other boy's eyes were looking over his shoulder, and in a moment Miles' words cut Kurt's protests short. "Oh, good, here he comes now." Miles waved. "Yo! Blaine!"

Kurt's eyes widened hugely in panic. "Miles!" he hissed. "What are you doing? I don't-"

"Relax," Miles assured him quietly. "I'll help you."

"But, Miles, I can't-"

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Kurt's cheeks burned as he was cut off mid-sentence, his eyes wearily drifting up to glance at Blaine. The boy's appearance was nothing short of total confidence, and his friendly smile somehow made Kurt long for the floor to swallow him up whole. Why, oh why, did the boys Kurt fall for always have to make him feel so tiny and insignificant? There was surely no way he could make it out of this encounter with his self-esteem still in one piece… he would have to remember to kill Miles later.

"Hey, Blaine," Miles said, smiling innocently and ignoring Kurt's subtly lethal-looking glare. "Kurt just wanted to ask you something."

Traitor, Kurt thought stormily. He was certain that his face must have matched the crimson stripes of his Dalton tie at this point. Blaine turned to look at him questioningly, and Kurt swallowed, trying to recollect his composure. "I…uh… yeah. Want to maybe do something on Saturday?" he blurted, to which Miles grinned encouragingly. Kurt was going to have to wing it.

Blaine's eyes brightened a little. "Definitely," he replied. "What did you have in mind?"

Kurt swallowed anxiously. "Um, well, Miles just told me about this musical that's going to be performed in the park that night. I thought that maybe…maybe you and I could… go. Together."

"Like a date?"

The bluntness of Blaine's question nearly did Kurt in completely, and it only took one look at Miles' overly-hopeful expression for him to lose his nerve. "Oh, no," Kurt laughed, a little too loudly. Miles' eyes widened, suddenly locked on Kurt with an expression of utter horror. Kurt ignored him. "Just a… just a business thing. If we go, we'll have the chance to check up on some possible competition for the Warblers. Besides, who doesn't love a nice grass-stain, right?" He laughed awkwardly at the little joke that neither of the others seemed to get, and hoped that Blaine didn't see the exasperated eye-roll that Miles was giving him.

"I…oh, well, yeah… of course that's what you meant," Blaine replied hastily. "I was just, uh… just kidding. It sounds like a good idea, though. To help the Warblers, I mean."

Kurt nodded, forcing a smile. "So…we'll talk about it later?" he suggested.

"Okay," Blaine agreed. He paused, and then moved to give Kurt a little playful nudge in the shoulder. "Hey," he added with a grin. "We're going to blow their minds with our song tonight, right?"

Kurt looked up into Blaine's eyes. Oh, lord, why was he so perfect? "Uh-huh," Kurt managed weakly, and then watched as he smiled again in parting and turned to walk away.

It was only once Blaine was fully out of earshot that Kurt returned his gaze to Miles, who was glaring at him like an angry bull about to charge. "I… didn't... mean… for you to use… the excuse… that way!" he grumbled, each word punctuated with frustration.

Kurt sighed exasperatedly, feeling the heat begin to rise in his cheeks once again. "Well, I'm very sorry to disappoint, Miles, but I didn't exactly have enough time to prepare my lines!"

"Good lord, Kurt! It's a date, not an audition for a leading role on Broadway!"

Kurt bit his lip. He knew Miles was right… things were never going to move along if he didn't step up his game at some point. But, truth be told, Kurt was terrified. He had no experience with relationships and romance, and most of his honest attempts at flirting had ended in near-tragic humiliation. And, at the moment, Blaine meant everything to him. Kurt couldn't risk messing things up between them.

"Hey," Miles said, his tone softening a bit. "I'm sorry about all the pressure. I just… I can see how much you want this. I honestly just want to help."

Kurt sighed sadly. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forgive Miles completely for pulling something like that on him, but at the moment, he really needed a friend. His duet was only twenty minutes away.