Blaine was surprised to be getting a phone call while he was filing papers at the studio on Monday morning. He was even more surprised to see whose name was lighting up the screen. He ducked into the back corner of the break room before answering.
"Hello?" Blaine answered.
"Good morning!" Kurt's cheery voice echoed through the phone.
"Good morning to you, too." Blaine laughed at how awake and happy Kurt sounded. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a very bright and breezy Kurt Hummel on a Monday morning?"
"It's not that early, it's almost noon!" Kurt laughed, and Blaine wondered what made him chirpy this morning. They hadn't spoken since Saturday, but Blaine figured Kurt was busy and didn't want to bother him. He decided to let Kurt call him when he was ready.
"Anyways," Kurt continued, "I was wondering when your next show at Gio's is. I'd like to go again, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind; I can't believe you actually want to come..." Blaine said truthfully. "I'm playing tomorrow night at seven if you think you can make it to that one. If not, I think I'm playing Friday too. I have to double check with Gio if he got a cover for Thursday because I'm playing at Sal's Tavern on Thursday I think… I'll have to check my messages and make sure it was confirmed." Blaine mentally face palmed when he realized he was rambling. Over the weekend, he questioned many times why Kurt even paid him any attention.
"I'd love to come tomorrow night!" Kurt exclaimed. "Maybe I'll stop by the tavern on Thursday too, if I can make it. Keep me updated with your shows, I love watching you perform." Blaine felt his insides squirm with delight at Kurt's words. He knew he had a good audience who enjoyed him, but it meant a lot to have a personal connection with someone who liked to hear him play.
"I will." Blaine promised. "So I'll see you tomorrow night, I guess?"
"That you will!" Kurt answered. "I'll let you get back to work now, I don't want to keep you."
"Thanks. See you later, Kurt."
"See you tomorrow, Blaine!" Kurt said happily and Blaine ended the call. He had a small smile on his face as he pocketed his phone and went back to his desk. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about Kurt.
I'm just saying it's fine by me
If you never leave
And we can lay like this forever
It's fine by me
In the past I would try
Try hard to commit to a girl
Wouldn't get too far
It always somehow seemed to fall apart
But with you, you, you
I can see what I need
I can dream realistically
I knew that this was different from the start
Blaine continued to strum his guitar on the stage at Gio's, but his mind kept floating elsewhere. He sang and played on autopilot, wondering if Kurt had actually showed. Blaine hadn't spoken with him since the phone call on Monday, and he hadn't seen his face as he scanned the crowd. That wasn't the most reliable way to see if he was there, but Blaine couldn't help but search.
And it seems that every time
We're eye to eye
I can find another piece of you
That I don't wanna lose
And I'm staring at you now
There's no one else around
I'm thinking you're the girl I need
I'm just saying it's fine by me
If you never leave
And we can lay like this forever
It's fine by me
Blaine played a few more songs before wrapping up his set and heading backstage. When he made his way into the room, he was not expecting to bump into Kurt just inside the door.
"Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed. "Uh, sorry." He apologized for bumping into him and kept his eyes downcast. "You came." He pointed out.
"Of course I did, dummy. I told you I wanted to hear you play! I just asked Gio if it was all right if I stayed back stage instead so I didn't interrupt anything." Kurt laughed as he followed Blaine into the room. "That was a really good show, by the way." He added as he sat down.
"Thanks." Blaine nodded appreciatively, putting his guitar away. "I play here so often that I have to switch it up a lot, I don't want anything to get too repetitive."
"Honestly, with a voice as mesmerizing as yours, I wouldn't notice if you sang nursery rhymes over and over." Kurt laughed and sat down on the couch. Blaine blushed and mumbled an awkward "thanks" before packing up his things. Kurt was about to break the silence when he was interrupted by a knock on the open door.
"Excellent as always, Blaine!" Gio exclaimed as he strolled into the room. Blaine turned and was pulled into the usual post-performance hug from Gio. He continued gathering his things as Gio turned to Kurt.
"Everything back here was okay for you?" He asked Kurt.
"Oh, yes it was perfectly fine. Thank you for letting me stay back here, I appreciate it." Kurt smiled warmly.
"As long as you're comfortable you're welcome to stay in the back to watch our performers anytime!" Gio turned back to Blaine to confirm Friday night, and then left the room to go check on the kitchen.
Blaine had just grabbed his jacket when Kurt spoke up again.
"So… I don't know if you had any plans after this, but have you eaten anything yet?" Kurt stood up and grabbed Blaine's messenger bag to hand it to him.
"I had a small dinner earlier, but nothing substantial, why?" Blaine took his bag from Kurt with a mumbled "thanks" and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing his guitar case.
"I have a wonderful selection of cheese and crackers at my house if you'd like to come over for a bit. If you're not busy, I mean." Kurt added quickly.
"Sure, yeah." Blaine smiled and gestured for Kurt to lead the way. When Kurt started to walk down the corridor that led to the front door through the bar, Blaine grabbed his hand.
"It's probably best if we go out the back…" Blaine said, leading Kurt in the other direction.
"Oh, yeah. Probably better. Lead the way." Kurt smiled and Blaine pulled him along. Blaine barely noticed the contact until they reached the back door, when he finally realized that he had yet to let go of Kurt's hand. He immediately released his light grip and started to apologize, but Kurt cut him off.
"There's no sense in apologizing. We're going to have to get used to it anyway." Kurt smiled and pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Did you drive here?"
"Yeah, my car's in the garage across the street." Blaine replied. He was still thinking about the warmth he had felt when he held Kurt's hand. It had felt so natural to him. He was honestly glad Kurt wasn't fazed by it at all. They had to be comfortable with each other if they were going to make this work. "Should I follow you there, or…?" Blaine trailed off, heading towards the parking garage with Kurt next to him.
"I'm in the garage too, so that's fine. I'll text you my address, just in case." Kurt took out his phone and started typing on it as they left the small back door alley to Giovanni's.
When they arrived at the garage they went their separate ways to their cars, and Blaine took a deep breath. They were just friends. Sort of. He shook his head and unlocked his car and put his guitar on the backseat before climbing into the driver's seat.
Kurt waited for Blaine at the front door when they arrived at his house. To Blaine's surprise, it was actually a relatively small house just outside of the city. Kurt smiled as he unlocked the door and gestured for Blaine to enter first. Blaine walked in and could already tell that it was Kurt who lived here; the simple and tasteful design of the walkway alone was exquisite.
"Do you do interior design in your spare time?" Blaine asked as he toed his shoes off.
"Not really, but I had a lot of fun with this." Kurt shrugged his jacket off and hung it in the coat closet, reaching out for Blaine's right after. "It's not much, compared to some of my costars especially, but I like it. It's quiet and homey, which is good enough for me."
"I think it's perfect. Very you." Blaine said as he followed Kurt into the kitchen.
"Very me?" Kurt grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. "Would you like some water?"
"Sure. And yes, all of your decorations and everything just seem very… It's hard to describe. It's effortless and ostentatious at the same time. Well, no, maybe that's not the right word… I don't know, it just seems very you." Blaine looked away in attempt to conceal his reddening cheeks as Kurt handed him a glass of water.
"Well, thank you," Kurt smiled and held Blaine's gaze for a moment, then awkwardly cleared his throat. "Come on, I'll show you around."
Blaine followed Kurt all throughout his house, nodded his head and making appropriate comments at the proper times. It wasn't until they went into the living room that Blaine actually asked a question.
"Do you play?" He inquired, gesturing to the sleek, black upright piano in the corner of the room.
"A little. I used to play a lot when I was young, and I picked it back up in high school, but I'm not nearly as good as you." A grin spread across his face as he spoke.
"I doubt that." Blaine beamed at him. "Play something for me."
"Oh no, I'm not going to embarrass myself by attempting to play piano for a man with a fine arts degree." Kurt chuckled.
"Please?" Blaine practically begged with wide eyes and a big smile. Kurt's own eyes widened and he shook his head.
"Okay, new rule in this relationship." Kurt placed his water glass down on a coaster on the coffee table. "You are never allowed to make that face at me. That's just unfair."
"Why is it unfair?" Blaine tilted his head as he raised an eyebrow.
"Because you look like one of those puppies from the Sarah McLachlan commercials. There is no way I can ever say no to that." Blaine chuckled in response.
"Oh, well in that case," Blaine put on his best puppy face and looked at Kurt with wide eyes and a pouted lip. "Please play something for me?"
"I hate you." Kurt narrowed his eyes before turning on his heel and gently sitting down on the piano bench. Blaine's face broke into an excited grin and he plopped down next to Kurt.
"I swear you are like a five year old right now." Kurt laughed as he positioned his hands on the keys. Blaine watched intently; one of his favorite things to do was watch others play piano up close. It was one of the few things he could connect to people with.
"I just love watching other people play."
"You're about to be severely disappointed." Kurt sighed. Blaine looked at him and waited. "Okay, fine." Kurt took a breath and began to pluck out a melody. It took Blaine all of two seconds to realize that Kurt was actually playing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
"Oh, come on!" Blaine groaned.
"You never specified what I would have to play. You can't blame me for not wanting to play Moonlight Sonata." Kurt laughed. Blaine stuck his tongue out at him and began to idly play over the keys.
"I'll make you play something good for me one day." Blaine promised.
"What, my rendition of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' wasn't good?" Blaine just looked at Kurt with a serious expression. "I'll be sure to practice regularly until that day comes." Kurt relaxed his shoulders and leaned back a little to allow more room for Blaine's hands to roam about the glossy black and white keys. "Besides, why should I play when I have my own personal concert pianist sitting next to me?"
"Because I like watching others play piano, and I want to see you play." Blaine replied simply, still absently playing a soft melody.
"Maybe someday." Kurt shifted down the bench a bit more, giving Blaine more room and easier access to the higher keys. "For now, you should play me a song."
"But you already heard me play tonight." Blaine's eyes left the piano but his fingers still moved in practiced patterns, travelling around the keys in front of him in memorized movements.
"Too bad, I want to hear more." Kurt gestured to the keys and flashed Blaine a big smile, one Blaine couldn't refuse.
"All right, all right…" Blaine rolled his eyes playfully and his fingers flowed gracefully into a soft, sweet melody.
I just remembered, that time at the market
snuck up behind me and jumped on my shopping cart
And rode down, aisle 5
you looked behind you to smile back at me
crashed into a rack full of magazines
they asked us if we could leave.
Blaine could feel Kurt watching him, but he kept his eyes downcast. He focused on his playing, even though he knew he didn't have to.
Can't remember, what went wrong last September
Though I'm sure that you'd remind me, if you had to
Our love was, comfortable and
so broken in
she's perfect, so flawless
or so they say, say
She thinks I can't see the smile that she's fakin'
and poses for pictures that aren't being taken
I loved you
grey sweat pants, no makeup, so perfect
Blaine felt a sting behind his eyes, but held it back. He wouldn't let it out, not here. Kurt was his friend, and maybe at one point he'd share the story, but now was not the time. He blinked slowly and continued singing the soft lyrics.
Our love was, comfortable and
so broken in
she's perfect, so flawless
I'm not impressed, I want you back.
The piano faded as Blaine slowly finished the tune and finally gathered the courage to look over to Kurt. His expression was one Blaine hadn't seen in a long time. There was something there, something he'd only seen on the last person he was close to.
"That was beautiful." The corners of Kurt's mouth turned up and Blaine grinned back at him. "I feel like I know you better when I hear you play." Blaine ducked his head and blushed at that.
"Thanks," He half-whispered. "I don't… I get too into music to put up a mask."
"You shouldn't. It's nice to see you fade into the music." Kurt smiled. Blaine glanced up and realized just how close they were, and he could feel the heat creeping up his neck and into his cheeks once more.
"I… um… I should probably go. I have to get to work in the morning so…" He slid off the bench and stood up by Kurt.
"Rain check on the cheese and crackers then?" Kurt spun around on the bench as he asked.
"Oh! Yeah, yeah sure. Sorry." Blaine thought he should probably stay, but he didn't want to intrude.
"Don't worry about it, Blaine." Kurt stood up and smiled, following Blaine towards the door. "Thanks for coming over. And playing for me."
"Anytime," Blaine smiled sincerely, but on second thought he wondered if that was a promise he should actually make.
"I'll see you soon?" Kurt handed Blaine his jacket.
"Yeah, definitely." Blaine grinned. "Thanks for having me."
"Anytime." Kurt replied with a playful smirk. Blaine waved over his shoulder and closed the front door behind him. He breathed deeply. This was going to take some getting used to.
Songs in this chapter:
Fine By Me - Andy Grammer
Comfortable - John Mayer
Hope you enjoyed!
