The date is going so well that I silently kick myself for not asking Blaine out sooner. The coffee part of it was amazing. We laughed at how overdressed we were compared to the other customers, spoke about how the Lima Bean is possibly the only thing about Ohio to be missed and discussed the play a little.
"So it's set before The Wizard of Oz?" asks Blaine as we make our way to the theatre. It's not too far away and in any case I'm enjoying the walk. We're holding hands and it's just so perfect. I never want this evening to end.
"Kinda," I say, but I roll my eyes. "I can't tell you much more without spoiling it for you."
"I don't mind being spoiled," he says with a small pout that makes him look like a puppy. "Please, Kurt?"
"Nope," I say shaking my head. "You'll just have to wait and see for yourself."
"You're no fun," he says, sticking out his tongue playfully.
"You'll attract flies doing that," I say. I picked up the saying from Carole who would often say it to Finn. I found it hilarious. Blaine seems to think so too.
"Did I mention how amazing you look tonight?" he asks, giving me a small kiss on the cheek. I blush.
"I think you might have said something along those lines, though it doesn't hurt to make sure," I say. "You just always look gorgeous."
To my delight, he blushes too.
Blaine doesn't joke around with stuff like this – when he says he's taking you to see a musical, he means he's taking you to see a musical. I can't believe how amazing our seats are.
"This is perfect!" I say excitedly.
"I did my research," he replies with a grin before lacing his fingers through mine.
The play is incredible and more than once I look over to see Blaine wiping away a tear. By the end tears are falling silently down his cheeks.
"Are you okay?" I ask with a sympathetic smile as we walk away from the theatre and he nods before pulling me into a tight hug.
"Thanks for this," he says.
"It was your idea," I say confusedly.
"Yes, but you could have said no," he says. He breaks the hug, and slips his hand into mine again.
"How's about dinner? It's my chance to take you out, right?" I say.
"Pizza," he says with a grin.
"Pizza," I agree.
I am suddenly overwhelmed with horrible feeling of being watched. I turn around sharply to check, but everyone behind us seems to be busy with their own lives.
"What was that?" asks Blaine, concernedly.
"Just my mind playing tricks on me," I say, though I still feel a little creeped out. The sooner we get to the restaurant the better.
We find a cute little Italian restaurant after about fifteen minutes and we slide into one of the little booths.
"Did I mention that Rachel and I snuck into the Gershwin theatre and sang on the stage?" I ask as we wait for our orders to arrive. Blaine's eyes widen.
"No, you didn't!" he says excitedly. "Really?"
"Oh yeah," I say, "when we were here for Nationals in my junior year. Best experience of my life."
"I'm sure it was," says Blaine enviously. "Especially if you're planning to go into musical theatre."
"I must admit, it did sort of solidify the dream," I say.
Blaine's about to say something when he's interrupted by the arrival of the pizzas. We thank the waiter and immediately start eating. We were clearly both starving.
"You were going to say something before," I say after a large mouthful.
"Oh," says Blaine, lowering the slice he was about to start. "I was just saying how lucky you are that your dreams are so set in stone. I can't seem to make up my mind about my own. I know I want to perform, but I just don't know in what context yet."
"Well, I think you'd make an excellent Muppet," I say and I'm pleased that this causes Blaine to laugh so loudly that the people at the next table turn around to look at us.
"You're actually perfect, you know that right?" he says. I don't, but I thank him shyly anyway.
An hour and a few drinks later, Blaine calls us a cab.
"So, your place or mine?" he asks with a mischievous grin.
"Oh, definitely your place," I say. "Mine's such a mess and I think my roommate might be in."
"Oh yeah, that's a problem," Blaine says with a mock-frown. "I've heard he's a real asshole."
"Only when you're trying to study," I say. I'm surprised when out of nowhere, Blaine's lips are pressed to mine. I'm momentarily taken aback, but I relax into it. After all, this moment has been a recurring daydream for a number of weeks now.
We break apart only when a cab stops in front of us.
"That was…"
"Wow…" Blaine finishes for me. We blissfully stare at each other for a moment before a loud horn pulls us out of our own world.
"Hey, come on, I got other places to be," says that cab driver in a thick New York accent. Blaine gets the door for me, which annoys me a little, but I don't say anything because I know why he did it and before I know it we're opening the door of our room and Blaine collapses onto his bed. He's fast asleep, fully clothed, within minutes.
I still carry out my moisturizing routine and use the time to think about the nights events. After everything I'm more than happy to call Blaine my boyfriend. As far as I'm concerned I'm never going to find anyone better or more perfect for me. Still, it remains to be seen if Blaine feels the same way. It looks like he might, but I learned long ago not to assume things about others.
I'm about to crawl into bed when my cellphone rings loudly. I'm afraid it'll wake Blaine, but he seems to still be deep in the land of Nod.
Rolling my eyes because it's probably Puck calling, not realising that there are people who sleep at night, I press the answer button.
"Hello?" I say. There's nothing on the other line. Nothing but the sound of heavy breathing and traffic. Whoever it is is clearly phoning from a phone box. "Hello?" I repeat, more insistant.
"You looked beautiful tonight," says the voice on the other end. It's croaky and harsh and not one I recognise at all. I'm filled suddenly with dread, remembering the feeling of being watched.
"You… you have the wrong number," I say hopefully, praying that it gets them to hang up.
"I just wanted to say goodnight… Kurt."
And with that the line goes dead.
I'm so scared that I don't even know what to do with myself. I should wake Blaine and tell him what happened, but he looks so peaceful that I decide I'll let him know in the morning.
I have nightmares that night for the first time since I was a kid.