Kurt looked at his phone again, tearing his eyes away unwillingly from the breathtaking boy as the last notes of the song faded away, and the announcer's voice filtered back through the speakers.
"That was Just the Two of Us by Grover Washington Jr.," The announcer said, his words like butter through the speakers. "If you're just joining us here at Grooves, I'm Artie 'All Cool' Abrams, and I'll be here playing love songs from all the decades." He paused for applause. "Now, it's time to kick it up. Don't you all think that your date is Cute?" The bass beat of a new song began over the speakers, and several couples made their way toward the dance floor amidst cheers for the new track. The small area of hardwood floor that had been cleared for the evening's festivities was filling up fast.
7:02. Crap! Where in the fuck was Adam? Kurt glanced back at the exquisite couple as they made their way to the dance floor then looked back at his phone. Suddenly, his blind date didn't seem quite so important anymore. Kurt had better things he could do with his time now, and for the first time all night, he set his phone face down on the bar next to his elbow. He wasn't going to check it until this song was over.
Kurt grabbed at his Mai Tai, raising the straw to his lips and sucking as his eyes sought out bowtie-boy. Damn does he have a nice body. There was some strange pull that he was feeling toward this stranger, but he couldn't identify it. Maybe it was just his figure, a broad and muscular build, that Kurt felt drawn to, but something in his gut told him it was more than that. Can't be. I don't even know that guy.
"I've been trying to ask you but I can't seem to speak
Was it love at first sight 'cause I walked by last week"
Is this what love feels like? Kurt mulled this over as he sucked on his straw. He'd had crushes before, and he'd thought he was in love with Nick at one point. He'd never, ever felt anything like this, though. This was a heavy, burning sensation in his chest, a tight feeling in his stomach, and an indescribable urge to watch the stranger's every move. He couldn't take his eyes off of the shorter boy as he followed his partner to the dance floor. Kurt let his eyes drag up and down over the other boy's body again and again as he watched him carve out a little spot for himself in the crowd of dancers.
The couple began to move, facing toward one another. They were both good at what they were doing, but they didn't seem to have much of a connection outside of the music. They weren't making eye contact or dancing with each other. It was more like they were dancing near one other. In fact, it almost seemed as if the shorter one was trying to flirt with another man nearby already, and he'd just entered the dance floor…
"You're as cute as a button
The things you do sure are something
Are you running out of breath
From running through my head all night"
As the first chorus played, Kurt was thinking of descriptions for the strange boy across the room. Cute as a button is not really the way I'd describe him, he thought. More like...delicious. Or lickable. Or perfect. Or sexy. Or...hott. With two 'T's. He watched as the stranger shook his hips in time to the beat. He threw his head back and his arms into the air, letting the music run through his body and control his movements. Other people around him were definitely beginning to take notice, and many of them were appreciating the show.
"The things you do sure are something"
"I'll say," Kurt said under his breath, his tongue playing with the tip of the straw in his mouth as he watched. He was beginning to feel...something… Not jealousy. Definitely not jealousy… at the idea of other people watching this amazing boy as he danced. Kurt wasn't sure why he was feeling anything; he had no connection to this boy, but, for some reason, he didn't think the guy the stranger came with did either. From what he could tell from his place at the bar, neither of their wrists had a glowing bracelet around them, so they definitely weren't soulmates. As if.
So what were they then? Were they just good friends? Was this a first date? Maybe they just hook-up, Kurt thought, slurping down the last of his Mai Tai. He set his glass down and gestured toward the bartender. "Another," he called over the music. Then, his gaze went directly back to the enthralling couple. Kurt was going to be there for a while, so he might as well drink.
"I'm falling in love and wouldn't I like to think so
And every night I look at the stars out my window
And I hope I can see
The one that we saw together
It was just you and me and honestly
I'll look for that star forever"
Kurt stared as the boy kept moving his hips, never losing the rhythm, never misstepping. It was mesmerizing, and Kurt could not look away even if he tried. He watched as the boy turned his back to his partner. Kurt caught a glimpse of the stranger's feet as someone in front of him moved out of the way: boat shoes. Overall, the stranger's look was not one that Kurt would normally go for, certainly not a way he would ever dress himself or one of his models at Vogue. But, on his boy, it fit. Who was he kidding? On this boy, it was perfect. It was hot. It was alluring, and Kurt felt that strange feeling grow a little bit stronger. He wondered momentarily what it would be like to lay under the stars with the boy, to kiss the boy's lips, to feel that boy's body twist and dance beneath his own hands. He shook his head. This song's getting to me, he thought.
"Are you running out of breath
From running through my head all night"
The song abruptly ended, and so did the dancing. The stranger stopped moving, not turning toward his date as he waited for the DJ to announce the next song. Anyone watching him could clearly see that his body was thrumming with anticipation, just waiting for the next song to start. It was as if he didn't need to stop to take a breath or a break because the music was what was keeping him going, the beat like his life force. His date tapped him on the shoulder, and the stranger turned to mumble something to him, never moving from his spot, not even looking back at the taller man.
Kurt released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He'd been afraid the couple was about to leave the dance floor, and the perfect stranger would be lost in the crowd. Still watching him from the corner of his eye, Kurt looked at the time on his phone again. 7:05. Before his eyes, the clocked clicked over to 7:06. He glanced toward the door. Still no Adam? Fuck it. He's not coming. Face the music, Hummel. You've been stood up on Valentine's Day. Great. He made a mental note to call Mercedes when he left and tell her; she owed him dinner now.
The bartender set a full Mai Tai down on the counter next to Kurt, the sound echoing a bit in the silent moments before the DJ's voice came back over the speaker again. "Okay, ladies and gents…"
Kurt picked up his new glass and began to slurp his drink as he turned his attention back to the stranger across the bar. Adam doesn't know what he's missing.
