Kurt handed Chandler his plate and sat down next to him on the blanket. He kissed Chandler sweetly and took his plate back. "Your family is so much fun."
"I had never really thought about it a lot until I was older and realized that most of the people I knew didn't have the childhood that I did. They are really great. They've always been accepting and supportive. My grandpa would have liked you. He loved the Golden Era musicals. He was a good dancer. He used to take my grandma out dancing frequently. He paid for me to take dance lessons here on the weekends when I was younger. There was just one other boy besides me, but I didn't care. It was fun."
"I went to ballet when I was really young, like three to five. I loved every minute of it."
They both ate what they had on their plates and watched the younger kids run around and play. When they finished, Chandler popped the top on the can of Diet Coke Kurt had brought with him and they split it. Chandler got up and put everything in the trash. When he came back, Kurt was lying on his back with his eyes closed. Chandler lay down next to him and took his hand.
"It's hard to believe that we're leaving in… 40 hours."
Kurt squeezed his hand. "I'm excited."
"Me too."
Burt and Carole came over and unfolded their chairs and sat them alongside their blanket. Carole handed Burt his plate of food after he sat down.
Burt said, "When you said that your grandma threw a big Fourth of July party, you weren't kidding."
"Nope. We do this every year. It's basically a family reunion. At this point, I just consider everyone 25 and under my cousin and don't even bother trying to figure out exactly how they're related."
Burt laughed. "I can see why."
"Thanks for inviting us," Carole said.
"Oh, you're welcome. Finn seems to like the pool."
"That may be something we look into. He's always loved to swim. We could put a pool like that in the back. Maybe next summer."
Kurt said, "I'm sure he'd love it."
"So, what goes on the rest of the day?"
"Well, usually the people who don't enjoy being outside eat and then go back in and play board games and watch movies. Grandma has folding tables set up with games on them in all of the bedrooms."
"Sounds fun," Carole said.
"It is. We'll have dinner about an hour before dark. Usually everyone who's camping out sets their tents up before dinner. Once it's dark, we watch the Dayton fireworks. After that, we set off our own."
Burt said, "I brought some with us. I put them with the others I saw by the back door."
"Perfect," Chandler said. "The people who stay outside play the outdoor games, swim, or just sit around and talk. Everyone's really friendly though, so don't feel weird about just joining a group of people and making yourself at home."
X-X-X-X-X
Before it got dark, Kurt and Chandler set their tent up and put their camping chairs as close together as possible between James and Sharon's and Burt and Carole's, who came over a few minutes after they had everything set up. They brought drinks for everyone and a bowl of popcorn for Kurt and Chandler to share.
After they sat down, Kurt looked around for Finn. He spotted him sitting with Janine and Toby on a blanket near Dina and Tim. He leaned towards Chandler and spoke quietly directly into his ear. "Look to your left."
Chandler scanned the yard in the near darkness. He smiled.
"How long do you think it will take for Janine to lose her patience and just ask him?"
"Should I tell her to? She's been waiting for him to ask her."
"That's not very likely. He's used to being pursued. As far as I know, he's never asked a girl out."
"Oh. I'll be sure to encourage her to be bold." He took advantage of Kurt's proximity and lightly licked the edge of Kurt's ear and kissed down his neck.
Kurt turned towards him and kissed him gently.
Within a couple of minutes the fireworks started.
X-X-X-X-X
Early Thursday afternoon, Kurt finished up the detailing the Navigator. Once he was done with the interior of the windshield, he took everything inside the shop and washed his hands. He went back outside and waited for the Cartwrights to show up. The bank check and the title and keys were exchanged and a few minutes later, Mrs. Cartwright got in the Naviagator, adjusted the seats, and drove out of the parking lot. Kurt walked to the back of the building and sat down on the bench before wiping the tears he had kept from falling during their interaction.
A few minutes later, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. "I'm behind the building."
Chandler came around the back just a minute later. He sat down on the bench next to Kurt and wrapped his arm around him.
"I know it's stupid to be upset about a vehicle."
"It's not stupid. You devoted a whole summer to fixing the engine and making it look brand new in between doing your regular duties at the shop. That's a lot of time and energy to put into something. It makes sense to feel like you're losing something important. I don't have that kind of relationship with my car because I've never done anything to fix it up except helping you change the oil that time." He squeezed Kurt a little and slid his hand up to the back of Kurt's neck and kissed him. "Let's get to the bank and to the U-Haul place."
Kurt nodded.
When they stood up, Kurt wrapped his arms around Chandler and kissed him. "Thanks for being understanding."
"You're welcome. Are you ready?"
"I'm going to go in and splash some water on my face. I'll come out the customer entrance in the front."
"Sure."
A few minutes later, Kurt got in Chandler's car and they went straight to the bank. Kurt deposited the original purchase price plus the parts Burt had bought into Burt's account. He deposited the rest into his own account. When he got back in the car, he handed Chandler a lollipop and popped one into his own mouth.
"Mmm. You found me a pineapple one." He unwrapped it and stuck it in his mouth before he backed out and headed to pick up their U-Haul.
Kurt went in and signed all of the paperwork and came out ten minutes later with the keys to a 10-foot U-Haul. Kurt drove the U-Haul to Chandler's to load his boxes. From there they went to Rex's place to pick up all of the pieces they had worked on for their apartment. Once they finished, they thanked Rex and headed to Lowe's to pick up the closet shelving and all of the fasteners they'd need. By the time they had loaded the stuff in the U-Haul it was getting close to dinnertime. They each headed to their own home for one final dinner with their families before they left.
The Kiehls went to the Hummel's after dinner to help load Kurt's stuff into the U-Haul. After they had gotten everything loaded, they had dessert together. Kurt and Chandler were surprised with their parents gave them a new smart TV. They loaded it in the U-Haul and the Kiehls went home for the evening.
X-X-X-X-X
When Kurt came back inside, Carole was waiting for him in the living room alone.
"Come sit down for a minute, honey."
Kurt sat on the sofa and turned to face her.
"I just want to tell you how proud I am of you. This is a big step you're taking and I know you're ready. I know you're scared too, but you can do this. And you could do it on your own, but you've got Chandler going with you."
"I do. He's just… he's comfortable. I guess I always associated that feeling of being on edge all the time as part of the feeling of being in love. But now I think maybe it's not. Initially, there were those butterfly feelings, but now it just feels calm. Is that normal?"
"Actually, yes. When couples get close and open up, that edgy feeling slips away and it's replaced by a feeling of warmth."
"When he walks into the room, I actually relax. I just feel lighter when he's around, which has come as a pleasant surprise. And it took me a while to open up to him, but he was open from the beginning. He was patient and gave me time to trust him."
"Well, you've told me already that you feel like you can be yourself with him. Even if you hadn't told both of us, we've seen it with our own eyes. That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually."
"Oh?"
"I just want to offer a bit of unsolicited motherly advice. Be gentle with each other this coming week. You're both going to be doing a lot of things you've never done before. The tone you set will set a precedent for working together. I know you've been working on a lot of the projects together, but someone else more experienced has been around to help smooth the edges of inexperience."
Kurt nodded. "I get it. Neither one of us has done any furniture assembly or building on our own. We've already talked about a lot of things. We've decided how to pay our joint expenses. We've talked about who will cook and clean and how we can divide things up depending on how our class schedules turn out. I know we'll run into a lot of new situations, but I really want this to work. I know it's rare for young relationships to stand the test of time, but I'm going to put my all into it and maybe we'll be one of the exceptions that makes it."
"I hope so too, honey. It's clear how much he cares for you." She reached out and put her hand on his knee. "I'm going to miss you."
"Me too. It feels like we were just starting to really get the hang of being a blended family."
"I know, honey. But you know as well as I do that time keeps moving forward. It's a double-edged sword. For every event we wish we could skip over, there are events that we'd like to be able to play on repeat. I won't keep you anymore. I know that you're leaving at 5:00 to go pick Chandler up. It's a long drive and you need your sleep."
He stood up and so did she. He walked into the hug she offered.
"Thanks for being such a great mom to me. I love you." He wiped the tears from his cheeks.
"I love you too, honey. We'll come see you in New York some time in the next couple of months."
Kurt nodded and went upstairs to the guest room.
X-X-X-X-X
Kurt's phone woke him up. He rolled over and answered it, eyes to blurry to see who was calling.
"Hello?"
"Kurt, it's Cooper. I've just got a minute. I know it's late. Sorry for waking you up. I wanted to thank you for calling. I won't keep you. I just wanted to tell you that I brought Blaine back to LA with me. We're going to see a counselor together. He's staying. We've found a great performing arts high school for him to attend for his senior year."
"Thanks for letting me know. Things sound like they're looking up."
A photo popped up in his texts. He moved the phone so he could look at it. Blaine was in boat shoes, nearly knee-length Nantucket red cargo shorts and a heathered navy t-shirt that said "Surf's Up" with an electric guitar whammy bar on it. His hair was un-gelled and only slightly tamed.
"He's found a new style out here, as you can see. I had him sell off those heavy cardigans before we left Ohio. I couldn't convince him to ditch the bowties, but the too-small polos are all gone, as are all of the too-short chinos and most of the suspenders."
"He looks more relaxed."
"We're working on it. I gotta go. Thanks again for giving me a chance to help him."
"I'm glad for the two of you." Kurt put his phone back on the other side of the bed and went back to sleep.
X-X-X-X-X
Burt slipped out into the kitchen as Kurt started to make coffee to fill two thermoses.
"Hey, Kiddo."
"Morning, Dad."
"Come give your old man a hug."
Kurt wrapped his arms around Burt's neck.
Burt pulled Kurt into a bear hug. "I'm going to miss you, but you're going to go follow your dream and work to make it real."
"That's the plan."
Burt released his hold.
Kurt put a small amount of cream and some cocoa powder in both thermoses. He put a little sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon into the one for Chandler. He put everything away while waited for the coffee to finish brewing. "We're going to drive three hours and stop and get breakfast. We'll switch places and drive another three hours and get lunch. We'll switch back and drive the last four hours in 2-hour shifts each. The contractor Rex has spoken to is meeting us at the flat. We'll get everything upstairs and he and the framer can get started while we go get what we need from Ikea, bring it back, haul it upstairs, and then return the truck." Kurt picked up the carafe and poured the scalding coffee into the thermoses. He stirred the coffee with a knife, which he dropped into the utensil basket in the dishwasher.
"That sounds like a good plan."
"I have to go. Otherwise, I'll mess the plan up before we even get started." Kurt hugged him again.
"I know. I love you, Kurt."
"I love you too, Dad. I'll text you each time we stop so you know how things are going."
Burt nodded. "Thanks. I'll feel better that way."
Kurt grabbed the thermoses and put them in the lunch bag he had put some fruit in earlier. Burt walked with him out to the U-Haul and waved as he drove off.
X-X-X-X-X
Chandler came out with Queenie in her carrier. He put her in the passenger seat and fastened the carrier in with the seat belt. Kurt hopped out and gave him a hug and a quick kiss before he climbed into the truck and slid to the center position. Kurt got back in and turned to kiss him once again.
"Ready?" Kurt asked.
"Yes. Definitely, yes."
Sharon and James stood on the porch and waved as they drove off.
"That's a really cool carrier. I didn't realize that her bed that was on the cat climber in your room turned into a carrier."
"I splurged on it when I got her. I knew that I'd be taking her with me to college. I wanted her to be leash trained and comfortable on trips. The convertible bed seemed like a good choice. She didn't love the harness at first, but you've seen how nicely she walks on it."
"She's such a smart and beautiful cat," Kurt cooed towards the carrier. "Do you think she's going to miss your mom and dad?"
"I'm not sure since she's never really taken to either one of them. She loves you though, and she loves me. She'll be fine. It might take her a few days to feel relaxed since she's going to spend more time in her bed with the carrier top on than she ever has before, so we'll just have to give her extra love when she is allowed out."
"I can handle that. She's a sweetie."
X-X-X-X-X
Kurt parked the truck at the back of the Arby's lot near a grassy area. He got out and walked to the restaurant while Chandler put Queenie's leash on and took her for a walk. By the time Kurt got back with their food, Chandler was wiping Queenie's feet down with sanitizing wipes. Once he dried them off, he put her back in her carrier. He used one of the wipes on his own hands and tossed them in the trashcan nearby.
"I just know how many other animals have walked through there."
"I think it's a great idea," Kurt said, as he handed both of the drinks to Chandler. He climbed into the center, still holding the bag with their sandwiches in it. He put it on top of Queenie's carrier and grabbed the drink so that Chandler could get in. They ate and headed back out on their way. Kurt texted Burt letting him know they were on schedule.
X-X-X-X-X
Kurt and Chandler made it back to their new flat a little before 9:00. The two guys that were working on framing out their closets were about ten minutes from being done with the closet their bedroom. Kurt and Chandler began to clean the living room while they finished up.
A half-hour later, the guys had removed all of their tools and Kurt paid them. Once they were gone, they cleaned the bedroom floor. Kurt stopped long enough to text Burt that they two guys had done a good job framing out both closets and that they were gone. Fortunately the workmen had brought paint drop cloths and covered their boxes and furniture so once the floors were clean they could move on.
They set up Queenie's litter box end table and let her out of her carrier. They put her food and water dish out for her. A few minutes later, she followed them into the bedroom and jumped up on a box to watch them assemble her cat climber and their bed frame.
"I'm glad we got to bring your bed and dresser and your mom's dress. That saved us quite a bit," Chandler said.
"I'm glad that Rex was able to fix my mom's dresser. It looks amazing now. And once we get the shelving and our desks assembled, the whole room will look great. I'm glad we went ahead and bought the pieces we wanted and stained them in Rex's garage. It would have smelled so bad in here for ages."
"At least we have the low VOC paint to finish up the closets with." He looked towards the closet in their room. "They look really good. And I think can get them done over the weekend and get our clothes hung up Monday like we had planned.
Once they assembled the cat climber, Queenie made herself at home and watched from there while the assembled the bed frame, got the box springs and mattress in place, and made the bed.
Kurt said, "Let's get the ironing board out and get the curtains and the shower curtain out. Once we get those hung, we can shower and go to bed."
X-X-X-X-X
Late Monday afternoon, they walked through their place looking at what they had finished and what they had left to do.
Kurt was carrying Queenie. "So what do you think, beautiful? It's starting to look less like a storage unit and more like a home, isn't it?" He stroked her head just the way she liked as he talked to her.
They stood side by side in the bathroom doorway.
"Well, the shower curtain turned out perfect," Chandler said. "I love how the musical notation appliqués turned out. The brown, warm gray, and navy print fabrics we used look great with the tile and our towels. The towel rods, the narrow vanity, and the hanging storage cabinet all look good too."
Kurt turned right and went into their bedroom. "I really love our room. It feels like both of us. It's cozy and full of love." Kurt put Queenie at the base of her climber. He sat on the side of the bed and patted the space next to him.
Chandler sat down.
"What do you think?"
"I think exactly what you said. It feels like both of us. I loved spending the night with you in Lima, but it did always feel like I was sleeping in your room. Even though we brought your furniture, except the bed frame, this room feels like our room. Our clothes are hanging in the closet together. We each chose things to hang on the walls. We chose the fabric for the curtains and worked on them together. We spent a lot of time working on the bed frame together. It really does feel like us in here."
Kurt flopped back. Chandler followed him.
A wave of self-doubt hit Kurt, but rather than let it fester, he met it head on.
"I want to ask you something." He reached over and took Chandler's hand and interlaced their fingers.
"Sure."
"We've been together almost three and a half months."
"Mmm hmm." He ran his thumb along Kurt's, stroking it gently and reassuringly.
"Are you okay with how things are?"
"I can't think of anything I'm not okay with, but what specific 'things' are you referring to?"
"How physical or not physical we are."
"Are you unhappy?"
"Not at all. The opposite. I'm really happy."
"Good because I'm happy too."
Kurt didn't say anything.
"I don't feel like you got the answer you were looking for."
"Maybe because I didn't ask the right question yet. Do you want to do more than we do?"
"Like sexually?"
"Yeah," Kurt said in a barely audible voice. "We haven't talked about it in a while."
Chandler let go of Kurt's hand so he could scoot back a little bit and roll onto his side to face Kurt, who mirrored his movements.
"I'm very interested in doing more, but I've really enjoyed getting to enjoy each step or whatever you want to call it. Even if I felt like we were going too slow, I wouldn't pressure you, ever. How much I love you and want to be with you as your boyfriend isn't based on how soon you're willing to have sex with me. Do I want to have sex with you? Absolutely. Will I leave if you're not ready in some arbitrary time frame? No. You don't owe me anything. Even if we've been together ten years instead of three and a half months, your body is yours and no one is always in the mood physically or emotionally. Even if we've already done something, I will never assume that it's my 'right' or whatever to do it again just because I want to. That's not me. I want you to enjoy it as much I do. I definitely, definitely want you in that way, so much. I had to make myself focus in school sometimes instead of thinking about you."
A few tears streamed down Kurt's face, but he smiled at the same time.
Chandler reached out and wiped them. He took Kurt's hand and put it over his own heart and put his hand on top. "Not the answer you were expecting?"
"Actually, it was exactly what I thought you'd say, just hearing it made me love you that much more."
"Well, that's good to know because I love you so much." He scooted close enough to kiss Kurt.
Kurt scooted closer as well and licked at Chandler's upper lip. It only took a few seconds before they were kissing passionately.
When they broke apart to catch their breath, Kurt said, "I think seeing the room finished and it feeling so much like it's our room, made me realize that when we meet new people and we invite them over, anyone who sees this room is going to automatically assume that we are doing things that we aren't. I guess I just wanted to make sure that you're okay with that. This room does not at all look like two guys sharing a room to save on costs."
"I like the way our room looks – a lot. And I love you. It's no one's business what we do or don't do together and I will nip any of that type of inquiry in the bud with a resolute answer to point out how it is none of anyone's business. Our private life is private."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." He leaned forward and chastely kissed Kurt. "I don't mind you thanking me because gratefulness goes along with being kind and loving, but I just want to make sure that you realize that some times the things you thank me for make me feel like you're seeing something amazing that's not there. Being decent doesn't put me on the fast track to sainthood."
"I'm trying not to be overly grateful or make you feel uncomfortable, but I need you to know that the level of genuine concern about protecting our relationship and how much you care for my well being is extraordinary from my point of view. You think you're just being a normal amount of decent and I see you as being amazingly kind and thoughtful. We just have different perspectives based on our pasts."
"I get that. I just don't want you to idealize my behavior because I think it still puts you at risk for letting other people be less than decent to you, while potentially not realizing it because they are being more decent than you're used to, but still not a reasonable level of decent for an adult."
"You're right. I appreciate it when you point out things without sounding like I'm stupid. I have a long history of accepting less than reasonable behavior and it will still be a weakness that I'll struggle with for quite a while. But I'll do my best to think you are absolutely amazing without letting other people get away with treating me badly. I love you so much." Kurt pressed in and kissed him again.
"I love you too, but if we lay here much longer, my will power to assemble our desks is going to ooze into the bed."
Kurt smiled. He pecked Chandler on the lips and got up. He pulled Chandler to standing, but he was quick and wrapped his arms around Chandler and started kissing him before he could leave the room.
X-X-X-X-X
By Thursday evening, they had managed to get the sofa, their desks, the bookcases, and the drop leaf table assembled. That evening, they opened the last of their boxes. They put the TV on the dresser in the living room and got the DVD player and Wii set up. They put the things they had brought to decorate around on the shelves. They finished up by lunchtime. Kurt picked Queenie up and sat down next to Chandler on the sofa. They snuggled up for a bit together.
"I think it looks amazing," Chandler said.
"Me too. I think Queenie is going to miss the boxes, but I'm glad they're all empty and gone. We'll have to go back to those flea markets we went to yesterday morning at some point. There were a lot of interesting things to look at. I'm glad we went ahead and bought those old school chairs from the '60s that we found in that junk shop outside of Findlay. I think our choice to go ahead and stain them to match the rest of our furniture and spray paint the metal on them with the textured dark gray metallic paint turned out great. And your idea to use two of them as bedside tables was inspired. Now we can seat six people for dinner."
"I agree. They're actually really comfortable to sit in too."
"Laundry and grocery shopping tomorrow morning?"
"Yes. My interview isn't until 2:00. I hope I get the job. It's right across the street. It would save so much time getting there and back."
"My interview is at 3:00, but the shop is a 15 minute walk, but the upside is that it's not open past 7:00, so I wouldn't get scheduled to work super late." He put Queenie down on the couch and wrapped himself around Chandler and closed his eyes.
Chandler smiled and pressed a kissed to Kurt's forehead. "I'll stop and get the pictures printed that we chose. When you get back, we can arrange them in the collage frame we got and get it hung. Sam's painting looks great above the table."
Kurt's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Is this Kurt Hummel?"
"It is."
"I'm Adam Crawford. Madame Tibideaux said you had stopped by earlier this week and had left your contact information. She gave me a copy of your script. My merry band of misfits and I are interested in staging it as our summer project. Would you by chance have any free time soon? I could come by and actually talk to you about it in person."
Kurt looked at Chandler, who nodded.
"Sure. Would 7:00 tomorrow evening be too late? I have a job interview in the afternoon and I want to make sure that I can be back and not leave you standing around on the landing waiting for me."
"7:00 would be fine."
"We have a cat. Will that be a problem?"
"Nope. I love cats. Why don't you text me your address and I'll bring a pizza with me. Any allergies?"
"Nope. None."
"You said 'we'. How many more people besides you?"
"Just one."
"Alright, then. I'll be at your place at 7:00."
"See you then."
The grin on Kurt's face spread from ear to ear. "He has a British accent and he's interested in staging Pip, Pip, Hooray!. I'm in shock. I'll be even more shocked if he decides to do it after we meet tonight."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." He snuggled back into Kurt's side.
X-X-X-X-X
After his interview Friday, Chandler made some tea and lemonade and chilled them. He laid out the photos and collage frame on his desk. He started arranging and rearranging them. Kurt came in a few minutes later.
"How did your interview go?"
"It seemed to go fine. The manager said that he'd let me know in a day or two. How about yours?"
"I got the job. I start on Monday. He lost a guy a couple of weeks ago and he's hard up to cover all of the vacation time people asked for over the summer." Kurt took the file folder with his ASE certificates in it that in had in his bag out and put it back in the file drawer between their desks. "I'm going to go shower quickly and put on something nicer. He wanted a demonstration of my skills, so I'm sweaty."
"But before you do that, help me finish the placement of the photos. I want to get this hung up. It's the last thing left. I'll put them in while you're in the shower."
X-X-X-X-X
Adam showed up promptly at 7:00. Kurt buzzed him and waited for him on the landing. Adam put the pizza down on the table after he stepped inside
He turned back to Kurt. "Adam Crawford." He extended his hand.
"Kurt Hummel. It's nice to meet you." Kurt shut and locked the door.
Chandler shook hands with him as well. "Chandler Kiehl. We have ice tea and lemonade. Or there's plain water, if you prefer."
Adam stepped up to the sink to wash his hands. "This is an interesting paper towel dispenser. Oh, and I'll have the lemonade, please."
"Oh, Kurt made a bunch of the stuff around the apartment out of left over pieces of pipe and scrap metal."
"An unusual skill. I like the cup holder too." He took the glass of lemonade that Chandler offered him and sat down at the end of the table facing the living room.
Kurt and Chandler sat down as well. They ate and got to know each other a bit. Once they finished, Kurt packed up the two leftover slices and put them in the fridge. Chandler put the chair he had been sitting in back up to his desk. Adam followed him into the living room. Kurt wiped the table down and put the leaves down before he went in and sat down with them.
"The script is really hilarious. My main concern is that you didn't include any music for the songs."
"That's because I don't know how to score music. I have the melodies written out on staff paper. Maybe someone could help me with it?"
"Sure. That wouldn't be an issue really. You'd need to have the time to work with whoever is interested. You'll have to give your input for it to come out sounding like you hear it in your mind."
"I'd be available on weeknights and weekends. I just got a job offer today to work days Monday through Friday."
"I'll see about people's availability. If you don't mind me being nosy – Madame Tibideaux said that you turned down your NYADA admission offer."
"I did. I'm going to FIT."
"Fashion, then. I'm assuming that you have costumes for this as well then."
"I do." He got up and turned his laptop on. "If you give me your email address, I'll email you scans the costumes and the music for the songs." Kurt typed it in as he gave it to him. He attached the files and sent the email.
"Thanks. I won't keep you any longer tonight. If we can get a group together tomorrow morning, would you be available to meet us at NYADA and discuss the music further? That's what we'll have to get arranged first."
"We don't have any plans for tomorrow, except to start on our list of places we want to visit."
He nodded and smiled. "I'll let you know as soon as I can find a time to get most everyone together. We rehearse on Monday afternoons, so if I can't get everyone together over the weekend, I'll let you know when we can all get together sometime Monday afternoon." Adam stood up.
Kurt stood too. "Sure. Thanks for the pizza. And for giving any consideration to actually staging my piece. It would be a lot of fun to see it performed."
Chandler stood and followed the two of them to the door. Kurt locked it after Adam left. When he turned around, Chandler stepped forward, causing Kurt to step back. He kissed Kurt. "I think it's time to break out my guitar and keyboard and put some music into this place. I know we've listened to music all week and we sang along, but we've not actually sung." He pecked Kurt on the lips and stepped back. He offered Kurt his hand and led him back to the living room.
"So, is there a theme to our first music night?"
"Hmm. '70s love songs."
"Okay." Kurt set up his keyboard in front of the TV and began to play.
So many nights, I'd sit by my window,
Waiting for someone to sing me his song.
So many dreams I kept deep inside me,
Alone in the dark, but now you've come along.
And you light up my life.
You give me hope to carry on.
You light up my days and fill my nights with song.
Rollin' at sea, adrift on the water,
could it be finally I'm turnin' for home?
Finally a chance to say, "Hey, I love you."
Never again to be all alone.
And you light up my life.
You give me hope to carry on.
You light up my days and fill my nights with song.
It can't be wrong when it feels so right,
'Cause you… you light up my life.
Chandler leaned over the keyboard and kissed him. He stepped back and picked up his guitar. "This is usually accompanied by a piano, but here goes."
When you're weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all.
I'm on your side, oh, when times get rough,
And friends just can't be found.
Kurt started playing along on his keyboard.
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will lay me down.
…
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way. See how they shine.
Oh, if you need a friend,
I'm sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will ease your mind.
They sang together for another half-hour or so. Kurt put the instruments away while Chandler showered. He had the lights out and the movie ready when Chandler came back. He sat between Kurt's knees and leaned back into his chest and relaxed. Kurt wrapped his arms around Chandler. "I was thinking about the words to 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' while you were showering. "You really do ease my mind. I just wanted you to know that. I know you don't struggle with anxiety like I do, but I hope I make you feel as loved as you make me feel."
"You do. Every day. So much." He turned and kissed Kurt.
"Ready?" Kurt pressed play.