A/N: Sending a big warm hello to all my new readers. I'm so glad you're here! I don't want to apologize for my slowness at the start of each chapter, so I'm just going to say that no matter how long it is between updates, please know this is not abandoned. I still have lots of plans for these boys, but real life likes to get in the way. So thank you for your patience and kindness in your reviews and with all your alerts! Enjoy :) xo

To Kurt: When can I meet him?

To Rachel: Well, good morning to you too :p By 'him' I assume you mean Blaine?!

To Kurt: Good Morning, Kurt. Did you sleep well? It's a lovely day outside today. Can we just skip the pleasantries now and move on to your talented, handsome, semi-famous boyfriend and answer my question...When can I meet BLAINE?

To Rachel: Well, since you put it so nicely, I'll find out as soon as I can and text you a time & place. I'm meeting him for coffee at The Lima Bean in 30 minutes to make plans for the day. TTYL.

Kurt flung his phone onto his bed and finished getting ready for his coffee date with Blaine. He looked thoughtfully at the three outfits laid out on his bed. He was having a tough time deciding what message he wanted to convey with his clothes on their second date. That indecision did nothing to dampen the small thrill that ran through his veins as he thought about today being their second date. Yesterday had been perfect. And last night had been even better. Kurt blushed as he remembered the feeling of being pressed between Blaine's body and the wall. Heat pooled in his stomach, and he had to force himself to think about Rachel, to calm himself down. He didn't need to arrive at The Lima Bean looking flushed. He did however want more chances to feel Blaine's body that close to him again, so he wanted to take Blaine's breath away with his appearance.

Suddenly his choice was easy. He grabbed his tightest black jeans, a simple white long-sleeved henley and a fitted black vest. It was one of his quieter outfits, but he knew it showed of his trim figure perfectly and was easy to get in and out of...if they went shopping and he tried on clothes. Of course, that was a perfectly good reason. Besides, he wasn't really ready to have Blaine take his clothes off, or at least, that's what he had to keep reminding himself.

Kurt sang along to the radio on his short drive to The Lima Bean. Nothing was going to ruin today. As he parked his car, he caught sight of his reflection and laughed at himself because he had a ridiculously large grin on his face. He honestly could not remember the last time he felt so completely and utterly happy. And he had Blaine to thank for that. He shut his car door and practically ran the few feet to the door. In fact, he was moving so quickly that he didn't realize Blaine had stepped up beside him.

"Good morning, beautiful," Blaine said and boldly leaned in to give Kurt a quick peck on his cheek.

"Good morning, boyfriend," Kurt replied with a wide smile and squeeze of Blaine's hand.

Kurt held the door open for Blaine as they walked inside and joined the short line.

They stood side-by-side and although no part of their bodies were touching, they could both feel the heat radiating off the other. It was all Blaine could do not to purr at the contentment he felt as the warmth seeped into his bones.

"Did you sleep well?" Kurt asked Blaine and then groaned at how cliched that had sounded.

Blaine chuckled softly as he watched Kurt chastise himself.

"Kurt relax, don't be so hard on yourself, please. That was an honest question, I was sleeping in a hotel. I would have asked you the same thing. And yes, I did sleep well. I had a fantastic dream about my gorgeous boyfriend." Blaine smiled as Kurt preened from the complement.

The line moved forward and before Kurt could reply, it was their turn to order.

Blaine stepped up to the counter first, "Uh, a medium drip. And a grande non-fat mocha for this guy," he said as he motioned over his shoulder toward Kurt. "And maybe I could get him to split one of those muffins."

"You know my coffee order?" Kurt asked as a smile spread across his lips.

"Of course I do," Blaine replied with confidence and a look that said, I've been paying attention.

"That'll be $8.40," the barista informed Blaine.

As Kurt reached into his pocket for his wallet, Blaine surprised him again.

"Don't even bother, boyfriend, it's on me," Blaine insisted.

They grabbed their coffees and muffin, and found a small round table for two near the large front window. They both removed their coats and sat down without speaking.

The sunlight streaming in from the window cast Blaine in an ethereal glow and Kurt had to pinch himself to make sure that this was real life. He was really seated, in The Lima Bean, with his gorgeous boyfriend.

Blaine sat patiently. He could tell Kurt was having a moment and he didn't want to ruin it for him. After all, he was having his own moment. Taking every chance he could to memorize the smell of the coffee shop, the light from the window bouncing off Kurt's soft brown hair, the sparkle in Kurt's eyes, and the pull of the fabric from Kurt's henley around his bicep. He knew he'd need these memories as reminders of how special he felt to be with Kurt and how easy it was, because there would times when they would have their doubts, or when life got too busy and it was hard to find time to be there for each other. It would be these quiet instances, the ones where they looked at each other as if no one else in the world existed, that would get them through.

And then, just like that, the moment was shattered by a high, shrill voice piercing their little bubble.

"Kurt, what a surprise running into you here," Rachel bounced on her feet as she stopped in front of their table.

Kurt gave Blaine a quick glance. One that clearly said: she knew we would be here and I'm terribly sorry for everything and anything that happens next.

"Rachel," Kurt snapped, and then paused to maintain his composure.

Rachel chose to ignore Kurt's tone of voice and took the pause as her cue to introduce herself. She thrust her hand toward Blaine, "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry."

Blaine stood up to shake Rachel's hand, earning him an approving nod from the tiny brunette. "Blaine Anderson. It's a pleasure to meet you Rachel. I've seen some videos of you singing and your voice is heavenly," Blaine laid on the charm. And Rachel soaked it all up willingly.

She flashed him a dazzling smile. "I could say the same thing about you," Rachel batted her eyelashes at Blaine, and Kurt almost threw his coffee at her. He couldn't help thinking how he might be doing her a favour, since the coffee would ruin the hideous reindeer sweater she was currently wearing.

"Thank you," Blaine replied sincerely. "Would you like to sit down?" He offered her his seat and purposely avoided eye contact with Kurt.

"Oh, that's a very kind offer. But I'm getting a coffee to go. I have some last minute shopping to do for my New Year's Eve soiree. I do hope you're still planning to attend?" Rachel inquired.

"Absolutely," Blaine reassured her.

"Excellent," she said with a little clap of her hands. "I already have a few duets in mind for us to sing."

This time Kurt couldn't control his response as he rolled his eyes and Blaine had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at how annoyed his boyfriend looked right now.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you," Rachel said toward Blaine. "Text me later, Kurt," Rachel reached forward and squeezed Kurt's arm.

He looked up then, making eye contact with his friend for the first time since she arrived, and all his hostility dissolved instantly. In that one look he could read, not only approval of his choice in boyfriends, but also a longing in Rachel to find someone who fit so perfectly with her, as Blaine did with him. And based solely on that look, he stood up and hugged her. She squeaked with surprise before hugging him back just as tightly.

And then, in an instant, it was just him and Blaine again.

Kurt drove them to the mall after they finished their coffees. He promised they wouldn't stay too long, but he couldn't pass up the post-Christmas sales. Money wasn't something they talked about, but it was no secret between them that they existed in vastly different tax brackets. Kurt knew that wouldn't matter today. His expensive taste for fashion forced him to hone his shopping skills as soon as he started buying his own clothes, and he could spot a bargain from the other side of the mall.

Blaine had quickly agreed. He knew Kurt's tastes weren't common in Lima, so Blaine was excited to see just how Kurt went about finding the fabulous clothes he wore. And he wasn't disappointed.

Blaine watched as he saw a completely new side of Kurt. He was eagle-eyed and ruthless. Entire racks of clothing were given mere seconds to make an impression on Kurt before he strode onward with nary a glance backward. But the true surprise came when Kurt walked into what were clearly his favourite stores. A staff member would come scurrying over to him and a hushed conversation would occur between the two of them. Kurt's eyes would light up and then they'd both bounce and clap before Kurt was led into a back room. The first time this happened, Blaine was left standing in an aisle wondering if he'd just witnessed his boyfriend being kidnapped. He walked slowly to the back of the store and was shocked to find that Kurt was already walking back toward him with multiple garments draped across his arm. It was then that Blaine realized the employee had clearly stashed items specifically for Kurt. This realization made Blaine smile, knowing that there were people who appreciated Kurt's unique tastes and had gone out of their way to help him.

Of course, that smile only lasted so long, as they stepped out of the store and were surrounded once again by Lima's less enlightened residents. Blaine saw the disgusted looks thrown their way when the boys lost themselves in each other. A whisper from Blaine that brought a sweet smile to Kurt's face, or a loving glance shared between them, was enough to get a homophobic slur slung their way. Blaine could only imagine what would happen if they dared to kiss. Well, he could more than imagine, since he had a scar on his left ribcage that would remind him for the rest of his life just what sort of damage hate can do. But Blaine was determined not to let that stop them from having a wonderful day together, because this was Kurt, and he was worth the risk.

Although, he did have to shove his hands in his pockets repeatedly to keep from trying to hold Kurt's hand. He was grateful when Kurt started making purchases and Blaine offered to hold the bags, just to keep his hands occupied.

Eventually, there were so many bags that Kurt took pity on Blaine and they decided to stop for a snack. Just as they were making their way toward the pretzel counter, a low whistle caught their attention.

"Hey Hummel, looks like Daddy bought you your own personal Ken doll for Christmas," Santana taunted as she stepped closer to them, tugging Brittany along with her. Their matching ponytails and red cheerleading skirts bounced with each step.

Blaine blushed at the backhanded compliment and stepped up beside Kurt, waiting to judge his reaction before responding. He really hoped this interaction wasn't about to mar their lovely day.

"I could say the same to you," Kurt replied coolly with a simple flick of his eyes toward Brittany. "But I wouldn't, because one of us has some class."

Santana glared at him.

"Well then, if he isn't a breathing dress up doll, I can only assume this is Blaine, the Warbler you've been drooling over for weeks now," Santana retorted.

"And here I thought you weren't paying attention in glee club," Kurt responded, not the least bit embarrassed by Santana's reference to him drooling over Blaine. He was confident enough to know that there had been mutual drooling involved over the last few months.

There was an awkward moment of silence and then Blaine placed the bags on the floor and thrust his hand forward toward Santana, "Blaine Anderson."

"Wow, you can take the boy out of the blazer but you can't take the prep school manners out of the boy," Santana quipped, as she waited a beat longer than was socially acceptable to shake Blaine's hand.

"At least we get to take our uniforms off. Apparently you have to wear yours all the time, even during holidays. I guess you just never know when a cheer emergency might occur," Blaine replied with a teasing tone as he shook her hand.

"Santana Lopez," she said as her voice lost some of it's harshness and she looked appraisingly at Blaine.

"Her bark is worse than her bite," Kurt whispered loudly to Blaine.

"San's not a dog, Kurt. She's not even a dolphin like you," Brittany contributed helpfully. "Well, maybe she's a half dolphin, cause she does like lady ki-"

"Okay! Thanks, Britt," Santana interrupted. "So enough about me. Tell me Blaine, what are you doing here? I thought you lived in Manhattan?" she asked, desperate to take the focus off herself.

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other. They may not have been together long, but it was easy for them to be in sync. An entire conversation happened in that single glance:

Dolphin?

I'll explain later.

Is she always this abrasive?

Yes.

Are we just going to ignore it?

Well, she did help me with Karofsky, I think we can give her a little wiggle room.

"I do. I came to surprise Kurt," Blaine blushed and looked down at his feet. He didn't know why he was suddenly embarrassed, maybe because it was the first time he'd told a complete stranger that he just flew 600 miles to meet a boy from the internet.

"Wow, Hummel must really rock the Skype sex if you came all this way to get his ass in person," Santana winked suggestively at Blaine.

"And that's the end of this completely unpleasant experience. Thanks for that Santana," Kurt huffed and grabbed Blaine's hand, completely forgetting that they were in the middle of a mall in Lima.

"Hey don't get all embarrassed now. It was a compliment," Santana replied. When Kurt just continued to walk away with Blaine, she yelled after them, "Fine. But I'm not finished. We'll continue this lady chat at Rachel Berry's House Party Train Wreck Extravaganza on New Year's Eve. I bet a few drinks will have you spilling all your Skype secrets."

After Kurt apologized for the hundredth time, and Blaine assured him he'd survived worse verbal sparring on a daily basis with The Warblers, they drove back to Kurt's house to drop off his purchases. Tired from being on their feet at the mall for hours, they agreed to relax and watch a movie while Blaine waited for Cooper to come pick him up. They were going out for dinner with some cousins who were in town visiting other relatives. Blaine was apprehensive about seeing any of his family members but he did have a few happy memories from his childhood that involved these cousins. And as much as he wanted to remain snuggled into his boyfriend's body, he knew he couldn't back out.

Much sooner than either boy wanted, the honk from Cooper's car could be heard outside Kurt's house.

"I don't want to leave you," Blaine whined.

"I don't want you to leave, but dinner with your cousins sounds like fun," Kurt smiled sadly.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Blaine asked again as they walked to the front door.

"You haven't seen them in years, I don't want to pull focus," Kurt teased.

"Fair enough. Goodness knows you always pull my focus," Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear and then moved his head so their lips could press together. The kiss was soft and sweet and filled with promises for another day.

Kurt sighed contentedly as he shut the door behind Blaine.