I can't believe it's almost been a month since my last update. I am sooo sorry. I suck. I have a somewhat legitimate excuse though: I had finals at the beginning of December and then I got another job so I was balancing my school work and two jobs, then a shit ton of my family came into town for the holidays so I haven't actually been able to get on my computer for the last 2 or 3 weeks.
but now all my family is leaving and I have more time on my hands so I will be writing more.
I am currently sick though so this update is a little on the short side. I had planned for this part to be 3 times as long so I apologize for that as well.
anyways... enjoy

The months of August and September passed by uneventfully for Kurt. He was adjusting to Dalton and living in Westerville. He had memorized almost all of the names of his students and he had come to love Dalton just as much as Jameson Academy, the boarding school he had taught at in New York. He still had lunch with Blaine every day, but now they ate in the teacher's lounge at a table with a few other educators in the building: Hope, the youngest female teacher at school, she must have been in her early thirties, she was a chemistry teacher, Anne, an English teacher and a widowed woman in her forties that was foster mother to fifteen children, and Pete, an older man that had gotten enough of a college education to teach no more than a heath class, but his main job at Dalton was to coach the fencing team. When Blaine had introduced Kurt to the bearded man he had stated that Pete had been his fencing coach when in high school. In that moment Kurt had to thank whatever God there was that a school like Dalton existed in Ohio. He couldn't imagine going back to McKinley to teach along his old teachers, be it Mr. Shue, or, he shuddered to think about it, Coach Sylvester. Dalton was a blessing, and so were all his new friends; they were quite helpful with his personal problems.

Since August, his father's health hadn't stabilized, but it hadn't seemed to be decreasing either, for which Kurt was thankful. He spent most weekends that he wasn't swamped with grading papers and tests at his parents' house, doting on Burt and making sure he wasn't eating anything too caloric. On those days Kurt spent caring for his family in Lima, he kept up casual but flirty conversations with Blaine via text message.

from: Blaine
Halloween is coming up you going trick or treating? ;P

to: Blaine
No, I plan to watch whatever crappy horror movie is on FX that night and text you

to: Blaine
I'm sure that you're going trick or treating though cause you're a creepy man-child :)

from: Blaine
I take offence from that. really though, I might. haha I have a pretty good costume planned out

"What's got you so smiley, honey?" Kurt looked up from his phone and scrambled to lock the screen before setting it down on the table in front of him. Carol was standing in the archway into the kitchen, her bangs pushed back with a headband that Kurt hated and a basket of clean laundry propped up on her left hip.

"Uhm…nobody. No one. Nothing." Kurt stammered, trying to fight the school boy blush that was pushing its way to the apples of his cheeks. Carol nodded and took the seat across from Kurt at the table, a secret smile on her lips.

"So it's like that, huh?" She dropped the laundry basket next to her on the hardwood floor and fished her hand into it, pulling out one of Burt's flannel button-ups before starting to fold it. "Only in town for three months and you're already batting off the boys. Is he cute?"

Kurt fell silent in surprise. He had always had a good relationship with his step-mother, he had even taken to calling her 'mom' during his senior year of high school, but despite their close bond, Kurt couldn't remember ever having any kind of lady-chat such as this one. He supposed that this stemmed from his adulthood and branching from the nest to live on his own. Carol didn't see him as a child any longer and therefore held interest in his personal affairs. Kurt was surprised to find that he was not bothered by it.

"Like you would not believe." Kurt exhaled and shook his head as if he couldn't fathom it himself. "He looks like an old movie star. He has this dark curly hair, and when he talks I feel like I'm being sucked in like he's a siren or something. And his eyes!" Kurt threw his hands up in frustration. "They're the color of honey and I find myself drooling every time I get caught looking into them." Carol unceremoniously dropped the pair of jeans she had been folding and reached out to clasp Kurt's hands on top of the oak table.

"He sounds so dreamy, Kurt. I've always had a weakness for men with curls." She leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially, "Don't tell your father," she winked and went back to her chore of folding the clean linens. "So, what's his name? And where'd you meet him?"

"His name is Blaine Anderson. He usually goes by Mr. Anderson however. He's the German teacher at Dalton." Kurt sighed, "We share a classroom, and I eat lunch with him every day. I'm not even positive that he's actually, y'know… gay. But I guess this wouldn't be the first time I've fallen for a straight guy."

Kurt's phone chirped and rumbled gently against the wood in front of him, signaling the arrival of a new text message. He glanced up at Carol before reaching for it, and when his screen lit up with Blaine's name he knew his face split into the dorkiest, love struck teenager grin he could imagine. Carol noticed it also because she stood from the table and bent at the waist to pick up the basket on the floor.

"Don't let him break your heart, young man." She pointed a red painted nail at him with a joking smile on her face. "I'm starting dinner in a few minutes; maybe you could help me with the vegetable lasagna?"

Kurt waved her off with a distracted flick of the wrist and a nod of his head, then unlocked the screen of his iPhone to reply to Blaine's message.

from: Blaine
so since neither of us have plans for that night, maybe you'd wanna go to the bar with me?
It's kind of this tradition some of the teacher's have to go to O'Doule's. you don't have to
dress up unless you want to

Kurt's heart leapt into his throat at the invitation. It didn't sound like anything more than a friendly get together with a few coworkers but that was just a side note to Kurt. Blaine was asking him to hang out, outside of work. Before Kurt could type up his own response, the device vibrated again in his hands.

from: Blaine
I mean you don't have to come. It's not required or anything. and I'm sure FX is playing a
pretty crappy horror movie

Kurt giggled and quickly tapped up his answer, his heart still pounding in his chest.

to: Blaine
I would love to go. I don't know where O'Doule's is though. also, I am definitely dressing up
and I can't wait to make fun of you for whatever dorky costume it is that you've decided on

from: Blaine
I would expect nothing less :D great! I'll give you all the details on Monday

Kurt stood and squeezed his phone into the front pocket of his skinny jeans and then floated into the kitchen, a dreamy smile on his face.