Took a bit longer to get this one up. I see a few of you are following this story. That means a lot to me, it's my first fic so I'm trying my hardest to keep up to other fic writer's and reader's standards. Anyways, here's chapter three! Enjoy! Four should be up soon since I'll be home every day this week due to an operation I am having tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading!
After his conversation with Rachel, Kurt hadn't stopped practicing his song for the audition later that week. Rachel had scared him. What if they wrote him off just because he's a guy? Kurt could probably play Rose better than half of the women that would turn up for the audition. Still, he was nervous.
He relocated to the kitchen of his tiny apartment and pulled out some ingredients from his cupboards. An hour of sifting and mixing and Kurt was popping his creation into the oven. He'd almost forgotten the performance he had later that evening, and began to belt the number he had prepared. Half an hour passed and Kurt pulled the six mini honey cakes out of the oven. He had meant to only make one, but you can't really reduce a baking recipe to one serving. He dusted them with powdered sugar and placed three slices of almond on each.
Kurt moved to the fridge, where he pulled a carton of cream from the second shelf. He poured a little over a cup of the substance into his electric mixer, adding sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. He whipped it for three minutes and moved it from the bowl to a piping bag. He allowed the cakes to cool and proceeded to pipe a dollop of the lemon whipped cream onto each of the cakes.
"Don't these look delicious!" Kurt's cat, whom he'd named Simon, slowly sauntered into the kitchen. Kurt could swear Simon was eyeing the cakes like he wanted to devour them for dinner. Simon gave him a purr of approval in response. He poured himself a glass of his favourite wine before stepping onto his balcony. Now, a balcony in New York City is both a blessing and a curse. He had a view of the streets, but had to deal with the noise that came with it. New York was beautiful at this time of day. The sky was beginning to turn dark, which made the man wonder what time it was.
Upon finding out the time and scarfing down the remainder of his confection, Kurt rushed out the door into the busy streets of New York. Dodging people and cars alike, he ran and crossed streets like a mad man, praying he wouldn't be late.
Kurt turned the corner and found himself face to face with the deep green colour of the Shed's door. He turned the handle and entered the shop. Kurt thought it was strange how he spent so much time at one single coffee shop in all of New York City. He not only admired the owner but also his wife for having such a keen eye for design. Brown leather chairs scattered throughout the space, littered with marble tables. The lighting was soft, and the music that played while customers sipped their coffee ranged from Bjork to Adele. Kurt loved it.
He rushed himself backstage, hoping Bill wouldn't notice he was five minutes late. Kurt couldn't focus. He was thinking of the possibly life-altering audition he had tomorrow afternoon. His whole Broadway career was riding on a four minute song. One of the baristas nudged him to grab his attention.
"You're on in three!"
"Thanks Scott." Kurt politely smiled at the boy. He and Scott had dated before. Only for about a month so there were no hard feelings between the two. They'd both agreed it was the right thing for them to split up, and that was that. Of course, they were still acquaintances.
Kurt rushed onto the stage and took his place behind the makeshift curtain they'd put up. He could hear the customers chatting, and even chanting for him to come on.
"Kurt Hummel everybody!" Bill announced into the microphone.
The velvet curtain raised as Kurt's music began. He'd taken a risk in his song choice, opting for a more difficult tune this time around.
Blaine trudged home, excited to return to the coffee shop in only a few hours to hear the man's voice again. Blaine smiled from ear to ear just thinking about it. It was so odd for Blaine. To have a crush on someone he'd never said a word to. Is it even a crush? He thought about how crazy he sounded as he turned his key, entering his apartment.
He threw his bag onto the couch, slumping down right beside it. He surfed the channels for something worthwhile but to no avail. Blaine dragged himself to the washroom, showering for the second time that day. He dressed himself in powder blue trousers, matched with a teal and gold sweater. He tried to make his hair look as good as possible, but asked himself why. Surely, he wasn't subconsciously dressing up for Kurt?
Blaine slung his bag over his shoulder and started out the door, making sure to lock the door behind him. He was practically skipping down the streets of New York as he made his way to the Shed, eager to see Kurt perform again.
Blaine turned the corner and found himself face to face with the deep green colour of the Shed's door. He turned the handle and entered the shop. He tried not to think about what would happen if he'd missed Kurt's performance. Many were filtering into the shop at this moment, which Blaine took as a good sign. He took his seat in the center of the room, sliding down into the brown leather chair.
A barista came over to ask him if he'd like anything to drink. Naturally, Blaine ordered a medium drip. The barista thanked Blaine for the money, and went off to fetch Blaine's drink.
As the barista handed him his coffee, a man Blaine recognized almost instantly stepped out in front of the stage. Bill introduced Kurt and returned to his place behind the counter. Ready to serve the waiting customer.
The velvet curtain raised as music for Kurt's song began. Blaine noticed the tune of the song, praying that Kurt had the ability to take on such a difficult song. The crowd whistled and cheered as Kurt began to sing.
Kurt grabbed the microphone for dramatic effect, and let out a deep growly note.
Treated me kind,
Sweet destiny,
Carried me through desperation,
To the one that was waiting for me,
It took so long,
Still I believed,
Somehow the one that I needed would find me eventually...
Kurt couldn't help but feel ecstasy as he sang the song that'd meant so much to him. He tried not to look into the audience as he reminisced about Alex. Alex wasn't Kurt's first, but it had sure felt like it. The two grew so close over the year and a half they had been together. The romance began when Kurt first moved to New York.
...I had a vision of love,
And it was all that you've given to me.
Straight through the nights,
Felt so alone,
Suffered through alienation,
Carried the weight on my own,
Had to be strong,
So I believed,
That I'd succeeded in finding a place I can see...
Kurt was crying now. Both from the memories of Alex and from the power and energy he was putting into his performance. He repeated the chorus and sung through the third verse, bracing himself for the final few notes.
...I had a vision of love,
And it was all...
He surprised even himself when he let his voice go crazy and perform vocal runs he didn't even know he could. The audience cheered and whistled when he ended the nine second note complete with octave changes.
...That you turned out to be.
Kurt's final fifteen second note shocked the audience, and Kurt tried to refrain from fainting when he looked up into the audience to see that every single person was standing. He'd earned a standing ovation. He slipped off stage and Scott handed him a glass of water like he did every time Kurt performed.
"That was amazing Kurt! I've never heard anyone tackle Mariah Carey and actually pull it off, and especially not a song like "Vision of Love." Arguably her hardest song."Kurt could hear Scott's excitement through his voice. Scott was Mariah Carey's biggest fan...Besides Alex of course.
"Thanks Scott." Kurt genuinely smiled. He couldn't help but notice Scott blush. Kurt knew even though they both clearly liked one another, that there wasn't enough there for them to get back together.
Kurt was complimented by every single person he passed on his way to the counter. He placed his order and took a seat at one of the stools parallel to the counter. Kurt noticed the dark haired man approach the counter and say something to Bill. Kurt leaned closer in hopes of hearing what the two were talking about. He couldn't hear much, just a series of words.
"Tuesday...Three-Thirty...Thanks, Blaine."
Blaine. What a beautiful name, Kurt thought. He had no idea what Blaine and Bill had been talking about, but at least he knew the stunning man's name. He exited the coffee shop and couldn't help but smile as the man he now knew as Blaine passed by him.