When Kurt and Blaine arrived at the new horse barn, they quickly spotted Elliot leaned up against a stall, talking to a pair of boots that were just visible out the stall door. The two of them walked over casually, raising a hand to Elliot when he spotted them.
"Well, if it isn't the reporter and his photographer," Elliot greeted, smiling at them. "How's the fair? Enjoying your night?"
"I've been here all three nights," Kurt admitted. "I've loved it so far."
"It's been a long time since I've been to the fair," Blaine replied. "The kids seem to be enjoying it, though. Lots of big smiles. I talked to the guys in the ticket booth, and they said the carnival itself is doing well."
"Great," Elliot says. "Glad to hear it. They need to keep coming back every year. It's good for our little town."
"Speaking of good things for the town," Blaine said, pulling a notebook and pencil out of the satchel he'd been carrying with him, "where's Cass? He's the man of the evening, I hear. My dad was really excited to get an interview with the guy who's sett up a talent show for the kids that attend his therapeutic riding center."
"I'm right here," Cass said, standing up from the floor of the stall, revealing himself to be the boots Elliot had been talking to. "I'd shake your hands, but they need a wash." He smiled apologetically.
"Don't worry about it," Blaine said. "Who is this you were working with?" He gestured toward the horse.
"This is Nilla Wafer. She's my baby, and probably the horse we tend to use most often during therapeutic riding, especially with the newcomers. All the kiddos call her Nilly. She's so gentle. You can pet her if you want to." He gestured toward the horse, stepping to the side so that Kurt and Blaine could reach out and stroke the long white stripe of fur from the top of her head down to the velvety tip of her nose.
"She's so soft," Kurt commented, petting a few times before stepping back to snap a quick photo of the gentle beast's kind face.
"Isn't she?" Cass practically glowed, his smile was so big. He turned to give Elliot a quick peck on the cheek. "You know you don't have to be here. I know how much my horse talk bores you."
"And miss showing off Butterscotch? I don't think so!" Elliot replied, pretending to be offended. "You don't know my buttery lady like I do."
Blaine couldn't hold back his snort at that. "Buttery lady," he mumbled under his breath. "So, this is your horse then, Elliot?" he asked, stepping to the next stall over where a beautiful blonde horse was munching on hay in its stall.
"She's mine alright," Elliot replied. "I never wanted a horse, but when Cass went to go and pick out a friend for Nilly, and this little beauty just walked right up to me. She wouldn't let me walk away from her either, following me around while we talked to her previous owner. She's a handful, but I love her to pieces." The adoration he had for the creature was evident in the look on his face as he reached out to pat her shoulder. "Who's my perfect, buttery lady?"
Blaine chuckled, turning back to Cass, who was smiling at his boyfriend like he was the best thing on Earth, to ask a few more questions. Kurt took a few steps around them to snap some photos of Elliot and Butterscotch.
"So, tell me more about the riding center," he said. "How did you decide to found it?"
"Horses have always been a huge part of my life. I grew up on almost 300 acres of property, and my parents had several horses. My little sister, Becky, she's got Downs, and I saw how good the horses were for her. They made her happy and helped her to come out of her shell and join clubs and stuff in junior high and high school. So, when I decided to go to school for physical therapy, I was immediately drawn to therapy for special needs, and I spent all of my college career researching the use of animals in therapy. Once I felt like I'd learned all I could, I came back here, found a stable for rent, and started my business."
"That's incredible," Blaine said softly, looking at the man in front of him with newfound awe. "When you say Becky, you're talking about Becky Jackson, aren't you? She was in my class in high school, a member of the Cheerios. She did so well. Even made captain. It was so fun to watch her cheer at games."
"That's her. Becks has such a fun personality," Cass said, a soft grin on his face. "She comes down to the center every so often to take Nilly or Butterscotch out for a ride."
"I'm so glad she does," Blaine replied. "So, tell me about the center. How many horses do you have?"
The interview went on for quite a while. Blaine was so captivated by Cass. He had such a kind and giving heart, so down to Earth and willing to help anyone and everyone. Blaine immediately admired him. I hope I can be half that kind and caring someday, he thought to himself. The dynamic between Cass and Elliot was also interesting and fun. While Elliot tended to be sarcastic and a little more crude, Cass was wholesome and honest. They played well off of each other, Elliot never failing to bring a smile to Cass's face with one of his well-placed jokes.
Kurt stood nearby, listening and petting the horses on their noses and between their ears. He took some time to think as well. The horses put him in a dreamy state, and he began to consider what might happen if he allowed himself to meet Blaine for coffee the next day and let him in on a part of his story.
It could go really well. He might take it well, lend an ear instead of trying to solve my problems, and he'll likely be honest with me about how he thinks everything went down. He seems like the kind that wouldn't bother to pull my leg. Maybe Blaine and I could actually be friends. We could be confidants for one another. We could hang out, go to the bar, and be each other's wingman. We could go to the movies, take long walks, and—Oh, that's a freaking date. We could wind up dating, I suppose. Is that what I want? I do—
A hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present moment, and he turned to see Elliot standing in front of him. He'd apparently grown bored of listening to Cass and Blaine talk. Kurt was pretty sure this was just the beginning of a friendship and less of an interview for Blaine now. But that was fine. He'd stand there and pet the horses a while longer.
"So, you two an item now?" Elliot asked, gesturing at Blaine.
"What? No. We're jus-just coworkers."
"Really? I figured you two would wind up together not too long after I saw you at the construction site a few weeks ago."
"Yeah. No. I'm not looking for a relationship." And why do I keep telling people that? No one cares.
"I often find that, when I'm not looking for a relationship, that's when I find one."
"Often?" Kurt questioned. "Haven't you and Cass been together for a while? I don't mean to assume; that's just what it sounds like."
Elliot chuckled. "Guilty. When I met Cass, though, I wasn't looking for love. There he was anyway."
"Yeah? Well, I don't think that's gonna happen in Lima, Ohio."
"It happened for me."
"Really? How did you two meet?"
"The guy that owns the stable he rents for the center called my crew to make some repairs before Cass moved in. He came out to check on the progress. End of story."
"So, love does happen here sometimes then, I guess…" Kurt mused.
"Yep. I don't want to tell you what to do. I don't know much about you, Kurt. I just think you should take a chance if the moment feels right."
"Believe it or not, you're not the first person to tell me that."
"I am chock-full of good advice."
"Noted."
After another 10 minutes of chatter, Blaine finally decided to wrap it up. It was almost time for the talent show, and if they didn't get the last of the pictures taken now, it would be too dark to see anything properly. "Well, that's all the questions I have," Blaine said, turning to find Kurt standing behind him. "Want to get a few shots of Cass with the horses? Then, we can call it a night and go watch the talent show."
"Sure," Kurt agreed. He picked up his camera again and spent about five minutes catching Cass and the two horses at various angles. When he was satisfied, he let the camera fall back down around his neck, nodding at Cass. "I'd shake your hand, but they need a wash," he parroted.
Cass chuckled. "It was good to meet you, Kurt. Blaine, you, too. Thank you for doing this story for me. The kids are going to be so excited to see themselves in the paper."
"Happy to," Blaine replied. "We'd better run off and get seats now. We don't want to miss anything." He turned, waving to Elliot. "Nice to see you again."
"You, too." He winked. "You two have a good night."
Kurt and Blaine watched the talent show, loving every minute of it. Many of the kids demonstrated their skills in leading Nilla Wafer through a cone course, and a few showed how they could ride her or feed her treats. It was all very heartwarming. The look of pure joy was written on every one of their faces, and Kurt took far more pictures than he would have otherwise, wanting to capture all the moments that he could. He thought he'd offer any shots that didn't make it into the paper to Cass in case he wanted to hang a few up at the center. Blaine, for his part, was excited to get to writing the article. He had so many wonderful things he wanted to say about Cass Jackson.