Almost an entire day passed from the time Emily asked about the marks on Kurt's neck until the present moment, when Kurt was sat in one of the beautiful lounge chairs around his hotel's pool. Kurt did his best to fumble through an answer and miserably failed. His 'I got attacked by a lion' defense did not hold up in the Dirty Diamonds Court of Law. When he could not provide an honest answer the girls turned their back to him, choosing to focus on the road ahead of them.

Kurt felt absolutely horrible about remaining silent. More than anything he wanted to talk to the girls about the night he shared with Blaine just hours before. He could not, however. He was still confused and the girls would have questions, questions that not even Kurt had the answers to. So they remained a house divided. While the girls went to explore Venice Beach, Kurt sat poolside at their hotel. He would leave when it was time to gather his father from the airport.

Just as the thought of his father crossed his mind a man wearing barely anything stepped into Kurt's line of vision. Kurt watched from behind his sunglasses as the man dove into the pool. His Speedo clad bottom left quite the impression on Kurt. Thank God my dad opted for another hotel. I can't imagine him in gay paradise. The hotel, while all inclusive, was historically proud and definitely out. It's clothing optional way of life and abundance of good looking couples did not seem to be Burt Hummel's scene in his son's opinion. My dad may be accepting but I'm not sure if he's that accepting. Hell, am I that accepting? Kurt was not sure.

Kurt watched the man swim effortlessly to the other side of the pool and then back again. It was a beautiful California day, so much so that a dip in the hotel's heated pool, which sat directly in the center of the three or four buildings that made up the hotel, did not seem such a bad idea.

As the man's laps continued, Kurt sat contemplating what to do about his band, how to get information from his father without giving information, and what to do about the song in his head. Since his night with Blaine a group of words continued to gather in his cranium, begging to be written down. Kurt would not. He couldn't. The words in his head were so far out that Kurt could barely comprehend them. How could he write them if he barely understood them?

Owly, you're dear to me
Please check your clothing at the door
And who you're supposed to be
You always leave me wanting more

"I don't know why he wouldn't just tell us. It's not like we don't already know he hooked up with someone. The secrecy is completely unnecessary." Kate stated as she, Emily, and Chelsea strolled along Venice Beach, the November sea breeze slapping them in the face.

Emily and Chelsea shrugged absently as they took in the scenery. The mountain-esque backdrop against miles and miles of beachfront was awe inspiring. Their absent shrugs only served to fuel Kate's fire. She had to know why Kurt was so intent on lying to them.

"I mean, do you think it could be shame? I mean, he promised himself he wouldn't sleep with anyone on this tour. Maybe he's ashamed that he succumbed to sins of the flesh."

Instantly, Emily and Chelsea stopped walking to look at their friend. "Really?" Chelsea asked. "Sins of the flesh? More like sins of the kinky bedroom shit. Did you see his neck? I don't know what you guys saw but it was more than a hickey. Some of that looked like bruises."

Emily agreed. "She's right. Maybe he's part of some underground sex group and he can't tell us about it. Like fight club. You don't talk about fight club." She insisted.

Kate rolled her eyes. Fucking fight club. Yeah right. She then thought about the obvious bruises on Kurt's neck, the one's that her friend was trying to hide from them and eventually his father, with colorful scarves. Hmmm...Maybe he is in an underground sex fight club. Slowly she began to nod. "That would explain his disappearance after the Houston show and then Vegas. It also explains the bruises."

"And why he won't talk about it. Maybe it's like a gang. You go in, bang, get out. And you can't just leave, you have to be gang banged out." Chelsea suggested. It was a theory that the three realized that they could live with and accept.

"Bang in, bang out. Like jumped in, jumped out." Emily suggested. The three girls nodded as they strolled back up the beach, away from the scenery and back towards their giant van. None could wait for Papa Hummel to arrive.

Landing in California was such a relief for Santana. Though she flew often, that did not negate the fact that she hated flying. It also did not stop her from growing agitated whenever she was asked by Ms. Anderson how she was doing. Santana loved Nenette, always had, but her incessant fawning was growing tiresome. Nenette meant well, everyone knew that, but Santana was tired and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with her beautiful girlfriend and take a nap. Hours and hours of tireless work so that she could be out of town for Thanksgiving would only be worth it if Santana got to enjoy her time away. As of yet, she was not enjoying herself. The flight she and Nenette were taking out of Ohio - Santana flew to Ohio so that Ms. Anderson would not have to fly to California alone - was delayed many times and now Santana was at her wit's end.

"Would you like some coffee before we head to the exit? Blaine told me that traffic is terrible getting in so we have time." Santana did her best to smile, all the while cursing the gods. I just want to see my girlfriend and to give Cooper and Blaine their doting mother.

"No thank you." Santana responded through gritted teeth. Undeterred, Nenette nodded and began reading signs to baggage claim.

A short while later the two found themselves rested against a wall, just outside of LAX. Blaine had spoken with his mother a number of times and he was still stuck in traffic. Fucking L.A. traffic. That's why I still take the subway back home. Santana thought as Ms. Anderson offered her a piece of fruit.

Reluctantly, Santana accepted. She could not continue turning Nenette down. It would eventually be perceived as rude. So, the Latina accepted the apple that she was offered and began contemplating how the holiday would go. First and foremost, Santana would spend time with her lovely girlfriend. They'd spoken a number of times -they even partook in their fair share of naughty skype sessions - but Santana wanted to hold her, to spoon her girlfriend to death if necessary. Then, once the cuddles were out of her system, Santana would spend time getting intel from Cooper before cornering Blaine and talking a bit of sense into him.

Blaine was technically an adult but not the kind Santana liked to send into the lions den. He leaped without looking and held no qualms about it. Based on what Cooper had shared with the podcast host over the past few weeks, Blaine was doing quite a bit of both lately. He was rushing into dangerous territory once again with no questions of how it would affect his future. Santana would not let that happen. She would not let her friend throw caution to the wind, essentially shucking all that he'd worked for. Hell no.

Just as Santana was going over what she would say to her friend once she had him alone a car pulled up. Cooper's head and hand were stuck out the window, waving them down. As quickly as possible, as to not hold up traffic, Santana grabbed the bags that both she and Nenette flew with and proceeded toward the vehicle. Quickly she and Cooper loaded the trunk while Blaine helped his mother into the front seat. Hours later, when she was cuddled with her girlfriend and the silence was heavy in their room, Santana would think back at that moment - when she was loading bags into the trunk - and smile. It was like a well-oiled machine - a real family- working together for a common goal. It was then that she was certain that she wouldn't let anything happen to that family. She would not let anything pull them apart.

That afternoon, once the girls returned from Venice Beach and Kurt was able to tear himself away from the beautiful scenery that was his hotel's layout, the group hopped in their van and headed to a Denny's near the Enterprise that Burt was renting a car from. Though the group insisted on picking him up from the airport, Burt in turn insisted that taking the shuttle from the airport to the car rental lot and then driving to meet them would be far easier than lugging an entire utility van out to the airport. In the end the group agreed to meet Burt at a nearby Denny's. There they would enjoy a late lunch before following the man to his hotel and allowing him to settle in. Due to his many flight delays, that night and Wednesday would be the only time they had with Kurt's father. He would fly out late Wednesday night to make it to Jacksonville, FL for his cruise departure. He would then spend five days sailing from Florida to The Bahamas. Each member of the band was equal parts excited and intrigued. Burt never showed interest in things like cruises before.

Despite the oddity that was Burt's decision to take a cruise, the mood was light in the van on the road to Denny's. Everyone was excited to see the man that they considered to be their group's father. He was the class mom of band dads. So excited, in fact that the girls decided to extend an olive branch to Kurt, who sat in the very back row of seats, looking longingly out the van window.

The girls, all crammed on the van's front, bench seat, decided it was better to engage him than to make him feel unwanted. They never wanted him to feel bad, they simply worried after him. He was one of their best friends after all.

"Hey Kurt." Chelsea called back as she maneuvered the giant vehicle along the streets of Los Angeles. Kurt made a noise, indicating his attention. In turn, Chelsea continued. "We just wanted you to know that we're not angry with you. We never were, I suppose. We were just concerned with your whereabouts….and the hickeys on your neck. You made promises to yourself and we hated the thought of you disappointing yourself."

A brief silence settled over the van as it stopped at a red light. The light quickly turned green but Kurt's response did not come. He looked thoughtful but a bit unsure of what to say in the girls' opinions. Truth be told, Kurt was at an internal crossroads. Hearing the girls discuss their concern for him in regards to respect for himself was a bit unnerving. It made him want to tell them everything. He could not, however, and that killed him.

"And don't worry about telling us about your neck, though it looks like you got attacked by a bear." Kate cut in. "We've figured it out and we understand that the first rule of fight club is that you do not talk about fight club."

Kurt's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "What?" He asked, thoroughly confused. What the hell is this bitch talking about?

"Don't worry. We know and we won't say anything. Your gang bang, sword fight club secret is safe with us." Emily piped. Rather than let his shock and confusion show, Kurt nodded slowly. Whatever story the three girls concocted at the beach would work well in his favor. Hell, anything is better than the truth with them right now.

With a resolve to let the girls think what they would, Kurt smiled and began crawling from his seat in the back to the second row of bench seats. He wanted to be closer to his friends. "Thank you all for understanding." He stated as he plopped down on the bench.

Emily and Kate turned to smile at him while Chelsea shot him a smile in the rear view mirror. They were always happy to help their friend. Always.

As it turned out, Kurt needed more help than his friends could provide. When his father stepped into Denny's later that afternoon, Kurt was ecstatic. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to run and jump directly into his father's arms. Unfortunately, Burt's arms were occupied. While one was attached to the hand that was carrying his phone, the other was attached to the hand that was holding tightly on to another hand; a woman's hand. Kurt followed that hand, up an arm and to a face, a pretty face. The pretty face belonged to a woman with blue eyes, thin lips, extraordinarily bright, white teeth, and a head full of light brown hair which she had pulled back into a bun.

Sensing Kurt's momentary shock, Kate slid her hand beneath the table and used it to offer her friend's thigh a reassuring squeeze. Whatever happened was happening and there was no stopping it. Though I wish we would have had some notice before this transpired; whatever this is.

Unsure of what to do, Emily called out Burt's name and waved the man and his guest over. Burt waved excitedly once he found the group in the crowd of people. He grabbed the hand of the woman he was with and guided her to the table. They were greeted by three smiling faces and one perplexed face.

"Hiya guys." Burt exclaimed, standing back as each of the girls stood to give their pseudo father a hug. One by one the girls received their hugs. Then, it was Kurt's turn. The young man scooted cautiously from his bench seat until he was able to stand. He watched as his father let go of the woman's hand long enough to give him a proper hug. "Missed ya, kiddo." Burt whispered as he bear hugged his son.

Kurt nodded stiffly and did his best to enjoy the hug, despite the mountains of questions that were swirling through his head. "Missed you too dad." He eventually responded, still a bit shocked by the turn of events.

When father and son pulled apart, Burt turned to the woman with him. She was smiling warmly at them. The girls, all sat back in their original seats, watched with bated breaths as Burt introduced them.

"Kurt, this is Rebecca. She and I have been seeing each other for a few months." Burt began, a hint of nervousness in his voice. When Kurt did not immediately respond, Burt continued. "And Rebecca, this is Kurt, the son I've told you about."

Unlike Kurt, Rebecca reacted immediately. "Kurt, it's so nice to meet you. Your father has told me wonderful things." She gushed as she stuck out her hand for Kurt to take. The young man hesitated, wondering why his father chose Thanksgiving to spring such a surprise on him.

The girls watched as Rebecca deflated due to Kurt's lack of response. They knew he was not acting out of malice, simply out of shock. They quickly intervened. "We're Kate, Emily, and Chelsea." Emily explained, pointing to each of them. "We're part of Kurt's band. It's nice to meet you, Rebecca." The girls nodded in agreement, each extending a hand for the woman to shake.

Grateful, Rebecca accepted the greeting the girls had to offer. She even took a seat next to Kate, once Kurt's seat, while the young man pulled his father aside.

Kurt led his father towards the door of Denny's. "Why am I just now finding out about a girlfriend?" He asked in a staged whisper. "I shouldn't have had to hear about it two days before Thanksgiving." He insisted.

Burt sighed. "I kept trying to tell you, but you've been so distracted lately. I even told you that I had multiple tickets for my cruise when we last talked and you blew right past it. I couldn't find and in so….here we are." Burt shrugged.

Kurt was floored. "Wait...so she's going on your cruise with you?" He asked, sounded every bit the confused child he felt. His entire world was turning on its axis. Not that I mind. I wanted him happy, I just wanted a heads up about this happiness.

Burt sighed. He looked tired. "Yes." He responded. "It's a couple's cruise, so I can't go alone."

Kurt thought carefully about how to respond. He already felt the need to apologize to Rebecca for his shocked reaction. He did not want to have to apologize to his father as well. He was lucky his father was so patient. Burt waited while his son put his words together. He then stood back and allowed his son the floor and his undivided attention.

"I…." Kurt began. "I am happy for you." He stated carefully. "I am just surprised. I didn't expect this and I wish you felt as if you could tell me. We tell each other everything and-" Kurt stopped himself. Really they didn't. Not anymore. He was guarding his secret about Blaine with his life and, apparently, his father had been doing the same. When had they gone from being polar opposites to being the same person on different sides of a generational gap? "-and...yeah….I'm happy for you; genuinely happy."

The young man watched as his father's face broke into a wide smile. "Really?" Burt asked, needing to be one hundred percent sure.

"Really." Kurt responded. The guitarist barely had the word out of his mouth before his father was grabbing him and pulling him into a massive bear hug. The two hugged for a moment before being pushed aside by the hungry patrons of the restaurant. Deciding it was time to head back to the table and put handle whatever awkward moments were to come, Burt and Kurt Hummel made their way back to their party. The girls were deep in conversation.

"And this one time we found him face down in - "

"Hey!" Kurt shouted, cutting off Chelsea's expectedly vivid description of something that was likely embarrassing. The girls stopped immediately and the entire table turned to look at him. With a deep breath and a bit of courage, Kurt turned his attention to Rebecca. She smiled warmly up to him from her seat.

"I'm sorry for coming off as rude." Kurt began. "I was shocked and I apologize. I'm glad that my dad likes you enough to introduce you to me and I look forward to spending more time with you." The young man then stuck out his hand, hoping the woman would accept his apology. Luckily, she did. Rebecca accepted his apology and his hand.

Kurt and Burt pulled up chairs and the table ordered as if they'd done it a million times before. Kurt almost hated to admit it, but he was actually enjoying himself. With the shock of Rebecca worn off, Kurt was able to enjoy his father's presence and that was a welcome change after weeks on the road. Maybe, just maybe, he would enjoy Rebecca's presence after a well. Kurt pondered on this thought for a few moments. He then looked up from his water glass to see his father and the brunette staring adoringly at each other. Yeah, I think I'll like having her around. She makes him smile and I am always thankful for that.

Blaine stuck close to his mother all of Tuesday and most of Wednesday. Whenever she needed him, he was there. When she needed someone to take her to the store to purchase bits and missing pieces for their Thanksgiving dinner, Blaine was there to escort her to the grocery store. When she wanted to eat an early Wednesday breakfast and a late Wednesday dinner, Blaine was there. Whenever Nenette needed her son, he was available. While she liked believing that he missed her terribly, she knew otherwise. Blaine was distracted, terribly distracted. His mind was everywhere but where Nenette wanted it to be. He was careless and forgetful, qualities that were so unbecoming of the young man.

Late Wednesday night, just before Nenette turned in, she kissed her son on the forehead and made him promise to get a good night's sleep. When he promised to her satisfaction, Nenette turned in, leaving her son to his thoughts. Not for long, however.

Blaine sat alone in the dark kitchen of their rental home, staring out the giant window towards the city. The night lights of the city, one that Blaine could easily see himself living in, shone brightly through the darkness. Blaine's mind wandered as he the lights flickered. He was distracted, completely and utterly. It was a welcome change. He'd spent an entire day shaking thoughts of Kurt out of his head and actively avoiding Santana and his brother. Kurt had yet to contact him and his brother and best friend were up to no good. Blaine could tell. They were staring at him in mischievous ways, ways that Blaine could not handle.

For the most part, Blaine's luck remained tastefully intact. Unfortunately, all luck ran out and it was his time. Just after Nenette excused herself to her room, Santana stepped into the kitchen. She watched from a secluded corner as Nenette ascended the stairs. She then watched her friend stare longingly out the kitchen window before plopping down on the empty barstool next to him.

Blaine was unpleasantly surprised to have company. He'd anticipated having a few moments to himself before turning in for the evening. Instead, it seemed he would be forced to face one of the many obstacles that he was avoiding. Just great! The musician thought as he rubbed a hand over his tired face.

"Don't sigh and rub your face." Santana huffed, irritated. "You only do that when you're frustrated. You haven't seen me in months, you better not be frustrated!"

"I'm not." Blaine sighed. He was; so terribly frustrated. "I just..I'm just tired." He half lied. He was tired, but more so emotionally.

"I bet." Santana responded. "Chasing some guy that is likely running a game on you can be quite tiresome."

Blaine moved to stand, not even acknowledging her comment, she knew he hated when she or Cooper accused people of ulterior motives. Unfortunately, Blaine was not thinking with his correct head, which required herself and Cooper to seek out ulterior motive holders. Public Enemy #1 was Kurt Hummel. Even more unfortunately was the fact that, the more she pushed, the easier it would be for Kurt to worm his way in. She would have to tread lightly and treading lightly meant watching her mouth.

"I'm sorry." She stated quickly as Blaine reached his feet. "It just slipped out. What I meant was, traveling on tour must keep you tired. You should sleep more."

Blaine scoffed. "You meant what you said. You're just like Cooper. I can't have a single friend without you guys thinking they want something from me." He insisted.

Santana patted Blaine's once occupied stool as she responded. "That's not true. We just worry about 'friends'," she emphasized the word, "that pop up as huge fans after years apart. We worry about ex's that come back after you release an entire album about them. We worry that those ex's - the ones that follow your entire tour - are trying to hurt you... It's only because we care. We love you, B."

Blaine let out a tired sigh. Here we go. "I love you, too." Blaine responded. "What I don't love is -"

"I know you don't love us judging people without actually spending time with them, but you've got to admit that this entire situation is fishy. The only thing that would make it fishier would be him rubbing flounder all over his body and jumping into your bed."

Eww. Blaine cringed at the thought. "I see what you're saying." He eventually admitted. "But you have to see what I'm saying. Kurt hasn't asked for a single thing from me. And the few times we've seen each other have been all business. " Lie. "Besides, he knows about Eli and isn't into anything other than friendship. He wants me to work on myself and he's working on himself. His band is what is most important to him right now." Only a partial lie.

Santana stared long and hard at her friend, searching for lies in his face. She knew Blaine well enough to know when he was lying, or at least she hoped she did. Truth be told, Blaine was a better liar than he ever put on. He was able to put on a poker face and keep his secrets locked deep within his heart. Santana was quickly fooled. What she took as an authentic look of honesty was actually a well-placed mask, the same one Blaine used time and time again shortly after his breakup with Kurt. He never wanted them to know how truly troubled he was by losing his high school love.

"If you say so." Santana reluctantly stated. "I'll believe you. I know you're a big boy and I know you aren't actually dumb enough to do anything with Kurt while you're still married to Eli. I just worry."

"About what?" Blaine asked, trying to overcome the sting of his best friend referring to him as dumb.

"About you. You hurt for so long after Kurt, though you thought you were hiding it well. I also worry that you think too much with this," Santana poked her friend on the right side of his chest, though the heart is technically located in the center of the chest, "and not enough with this." She then poked him in the forehead.

Sting aside, Blaine knew she was right. He wore his heart on his sleeve as often as he wore sleeves and that was often. "I'm not thinking like that right now." The musician insisted. While he was conflicted after the night he had with Kurt recently, Blaine was certain that he was not thinking with his heart. We're just having sex, right? Right! It was a bold face life Blaine ever told himself one. He'd been thinking with his heart almost since the beginning."All I'm thinking right now is that I could use all the friends I can get."

Santana seemed to mull over that point for a few moments before slowly nodding, seeming to accept it. "I suppose you're right. Getting a divorce is stressful from what I hear."

Blaine smirked, the only stress radiating from his divorce was the constant bickering with Eli. Other than that, it was a cakewalk. The more his lawyer told him, the lighter Blaine felt. "You could say that."

"I do say that." Santana shot back, a bit confused. The girl shook her head, raven hair rattling loose from the bun piled high atop her head. "Whatever. I'm going back to my girlfriend, try to get some sleep." She stated as she stood. The young woman drew her friend into a quick hug and planted a kiss atop his head before heading back upstairs. Once again, Blaine was alone.

Though Blaine promised both his mother and Santana he would attempt sleep, he found himself lying awake in bed into the early hours of the morning. This had more to do with the phone call he received from Kurt than anything else.

Shortly after Santana left the kitchen, Blaine retired to his room. He pulled off his clothes - everything save for his boxers - and crawled into bed. He rolled over and turned off the light, anticipating sleep. Just as his eyes began to slip shut, Blaine heard the distinct sound of his phone vibrating against wood. His eyes shot open instantly and he watched the light of the phone illuminate like the sun in the dark room.

Without hesitation, Blaine grabbed for the phone. Upon seeing that it was Kurt, Blaine answered. "Hello." He half shouted, sounding every bit as anxious as he did not want to sound.

"Hey." Kurt responded with equal excitement. There was a brief moment of awkward silence that caused Blaine the tiniest bit of distress. "I just wanted to see how you were. Sorry for not calling sooner, my dad was in town until a few hours ago."

"How was that?" Blaine asked. He felt no need for Kurt to apologize, so he did his best to move the conversation along. "How was the time with your dad?"

"Great! It would have been better had he told me that he was bringing his new girlfriend to spend time with us. I hate surprises!" Kurt explained. Blaine knew this all too well. While Kurt was a fan of the occasional bouquet of flowers, he much preferred being fawned over to being surprised, especially when it came to his father. Everyone knows that.

"That's crazy!" Blaine insisted. "I'm so sorry that he sprung that on you. Was she nice?"

"The nicest." Kurt responded. "She was so kind and caring with my dad. There was literally no way that I couldn't like her. She's… fucking perfect."

Blaine, who had returned to his comfortable position on the bed - one hand rested behind his head, acting as a pillow, and the other holding his phone - nodded to himself. "That's pretty cool. I'm glad that your father found someone and that you liked her. That was huge for you when we were younger."

"Still is." Kurt whispered back. Seeming to have realized how intimate the act was, Kurt cleared his throat. "So...what have you been up to? How is your holiday week going? Are you ready for your show this weekend?"

"My holiday week is going splendidly. My mom and Santana are in town so the entire group rented a house. It's nice. They'll leave Friday after the show."

"Are you leaving Friday after the show?" Kurt asked. While he knew official details of Blaine's tour schedule, he did not know the finer details of travel days. Deep down he hoped that Blaine would be in town for his show Saturday night.

"No." Blaine answered, causing Kurt's heart to leap in an unexpected way. "Dani and I have tickets to your show on Saturday and then we'll leave Sunday night. I want some real time in L. A. It's been so long since I've been that I want time to get reacquainted. I told Cooper that when he was making the tour schedule. I want a day to go to the beach and visit a few bars. I may even go see my friends over at The San Vicente Inn. If you ever get a -"

"Wait!" Kurt interrupted. "Did you say The San Vicente Inn? What friends do you have there?" He asked.

"Ummm...I know some of the staff from way back." Blaine replied reluctantly.

"Really?" Kurt half squeaked. "That's insane!"

"Why?" Blaine was completely confused.

"Because that's where I'm staying." Kurt's excitement calmed and his voice lowered to its normal register. "The girls loved how close it is to The Abbey and to our venue so...ya know."

Blaine did his best not to grin. Once again he found himself in a situation with Kurt that was far too coincidental not to be fate. "It is very close to your venue. That's probably a good thing because I see you guys getting wasted in West Hollywood."

"You would be correct, sir." Kurt responded, earning a chuckle from Blaine.

Another silence settled between them. This one was far less rattling than the last. It was soothing. It gave Blaine the courage to say the one thing that he'd been pushing from his mind all day but could not ignore, given the way the fates were aligning in their favor. "Ummm...your hotel is also down the street from this restaurant I love. I go every time I come to the area. Raw? Have you seen it?"

"I don't think so." Kurt responded, causing Blaine to slightly deflate. "I haven't gotten further than Five Guys and I'm not even sure how I made it there. I was drunk as hell. My dad took Rebecca for a date and gave me money to go have fun. I think that fun ended with me walking, drunk, to get burgers well after closing and getting molested in the process.

"Wow!"

"Yeah."

"Well...I think it's in the opposite direction of Five Guys. It's getting closer to The Abbey. Anyways, they have the best raw food in WeHo. You should try it."

"I'm from Ohio, Blaine. I don't know the first thing about actual raw food. In fact, I'm pretty sure they cooked the sushi we used to get at the gas station back home. Do you remember that? We were sick for days."

Blaine chuckled at the memory. He remembered. They'd grabbed a snack before going back to Kurt's house for their Thursday movie night. Neither was able to leave their bed for the better part of a week after that mishap. "I remember. And I could...I don't know...guide you in the right direction. I don't know much about their food either, aside from the fact that it's perfection."

"Are you asking me out?" Kurt asked, all playfulness was gone from his voice. He was now all business.

After a few long breaths, Blaine replied. "Only if you want me to be asking you out."

Minutes that felt like hours passed. He had no idea how Kurt felt or what he was thinking. All Blaine knew was that he'd spent the better part of the entire day trying not to think about Kurt and how Kurt made him feel. What he didn't know was that Kurt had spent a majority of his own day typing down lyrics to a song that Blaine had inspired. They were at two ends of the same wavelength. "What time do you want to pick me up?" Kurt asked, causing Blaine's head to spiral out of control. He hadn't imagined in a million years that Kurt was agree.

Zedis Lapedis! "Ummm...Saturday after your set?"

"Sounds great! I'll see you then!"

The conversation quickly died and the two young men vowed to speak the next day. Moments later, when their call was disconnected and Blaine was left alone with his own thoughts, the musician sighed. He was relieved to finally have taken the step. His night with Kurt was fantastic and he hoped their date would go even better. Then, maybe, they could decide where they were going with their situation.

All in all, things were looking up for Blaine. He felt his life coming together slowly. He was getting out of his loveless marriage, his career was taking off, and he was finally reconnecting with long lost love. Life couldn't get much better if he willed it to.

A/N: I'm working hard on this one. Thank you all for your freaking patience! ;)