For those who don't know, there is a Kurt/Ryan group on Facebook:
www . facebook . com /#!/ group . php?gid=326399287512&ref=ts (Take out the spaces.)
I just thought I'd tell those of you who didn't know about it yet. It and some wonderful videos of them on YouTube were what inspired me to write this story. :)
7: The Two of Us (The Beatles)
Ryan's twin had little to say on the subject in the morning except "Just wear your pink pants again, silly," before she went off on a rant about Zeke burning a soufflé and stinking up her kitchen. Zeke, of course, had been more distressed over the loss of his precious pastry rather than the resulting foul odour, which only made Sharpay angrier.
"I had to therapy shop all afternoon to calm down. Luckily Zeke had everything cleaned up when I returned, or else I would have ripped his head off. On the upside, though, I got this pair of shoes— you won't believe how cute they are, seriously."
"I bet they're adorable, Sharpay—"
"Oh, they are! You have to see them! I'll email you a picture..."
"Gee, thanks, Sharpay, because that'll just solve all my problems," Ryan replied sarcastically, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He heard her inhale sharply over the phone, and quickly changed the subject so as to avoid a lecture on the importance of cute shoes. "I have work to do, so I've got to get going. Tell Mumsy and Father that I love them, alright?"
Sharpay bid her brother a quick farewell, knowing that she would not get any more good conversation from him, since he would be concentrating on his work and not on her. She knew full well by his voice that there was more going on at Juilliard than he was telling her, and she vowed to interrogate him the next time they saw each other in person.
Ryan felt slightly deflated after his phone call to his sister. He missed her dearly, and her substitute— Lillian— was nowhere to be found since the night before. He felt extremely lonely, and even considered bothering Kelsi with his problems; though she was so busy nowadays that she probably wouldn't even be able to fit him into her schedule.
He made a quick decision, riffling around his room to look for the slip of paper that Kurt had given him after their impromptu music revision. He found it and dialled before he had a chance to rethink it; he was lonely, and needed a friend.
It rang for only a moment before the smaller boy answered with a quirky greeting of, "This is Kurt's phone; may I inquire as to who is calling me?"
Ryan laughed and identified himself. "Would you like to meet me for coffee?" he asked impulsively. Kurt said yes.
--
Kurt was a bundle of nerves as he walked as calmly as he could to the little coffee place Ryan had described. He'd never actually been in the place before, and was surprised at how homey the place was. It had cream-coloured walls with chocolate-coloured trim, dark wood floors with a seating area defined with a plush cream rug. The chairs were all wood, and few of them matched; the tables were different heights, and the whole décor seemed to be based off of coordinating but slightly different sets of furniture. It was bright, illuminated by white paper lanterns along the counter at one end, and a single lit candle on every table. Kurt loved it; it was a place that he felt extremely secure.
He settled himself at a table with a good view of the door, unconsciously checking his watch. It had only been seven minutes since Ryan's call, and Ryan had said to meet him in fifteen. Kurt relaxed a little running his hands through his hair and wishing he had gelled it. He had rushed out of his dorm and to the coffee shop as soon as he had gotten Ryan's call, for no better reason than he was excited. He hadn't given any thought to his appearance, but hoped that his blue turtleneck sweater and casual dark jeans would be appropriate for the situation.
Why are you so worried about what you look like? A little voice in his head yelled. He's straight. He has a girl friend. He doesn't like you... Both Kurt's heart and head stopped working when Ryan walked through the door. Or, not. The little voice said, stunned.
Ryan, who before had appeared to be the most well-dressed straight guy in the room, now seemed to have visibly switched teams. He wore a pair of skin-tight, hot-pink pants, a black and white striped button-down shirt with the top three buttons undone and a pink fedora on his head that had the emblem of a well-known cartoon character printed on its side; Hello Kitty.
If people didn't know I was gay before, they sure do know, Ryan thought smugly, spotting Kurt and smiling at him. Kurt waved lamely, entranced by the young man approaching him with a grin on his face.
"Hi, Kurt," Ryan said, taking the seat opposite him. Kurt smiled shyly.
"Hi." He paused, once again trying to come up with something intelligent to talk about. He decided to go for smug indifference; play it cool. "Nice hat you've got there. Very... flamboyant."
Ryan's grin got wider. "Why, thank you," he said, touching the brim of his hat lovingly. "I hadn't had a chance to wear it yet in New York, but I absolutely adore this one." He adjusted the angle at which it sat, and then asked for the young woman working to get him a caramel latté with extra foam. "How has your week been? You never took me up on my offer to help you with that song."
"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind. I've been working on something else for my Musical Theatre course."
Ryan smiled, accepting his latté from the young woman, whose nametag read "Jeanne." He sipped it, his lips twitching up into a look of pure enjoyment.
"Ah, Musical Theatre," Ryan said knowing, leaning back in his chair and regarding Kurt with newfound interest. "It's on my next semester's agenda. Is it your major?"
"Yes, actually," Kurt replied, happy that Ryan and he shared a common interest. His crush on the dancer only intensified when the conversation topic turned to show tunes and musicals, and the pair discovered a mutual love for them.
"And Wicked? I love Wicked," Kurt said brightly a good hour later, turning an empty coffee cup around in his hand. He signalled for Jeanne to bring him another as Ryan replied.
"Ah, Wicked. I love Elphaba. Though Glinda sometimes gets on my nerves, especially in The Wizard of Oz movie when she was played by Billie Burke, but her character in general just makes me cringe."
Kurt nodded, accepting his third coffee from Jeanne. "Thanks," he said absently, waving her off and taking a gulp. "I preferred Elphaba as well. Defying Gravity is my all-time favourite song, you know."
Ryan nodded, nursing his own latté distractedly. "It's a wonderful song, but there's that impossible high note at the end. I would have to majorly modify the key in order to sing it myself, but I have heard some beautiful renditions of it." Kurt grinned.
"I can hit that note."
Ryan quirked an eyebrow. "Well, that's a talent. I couldn't go that high even if someone kicked me in the 'nads." Kurt laughed. Ryan shook his head slightly and took a final swig of his drink, pushing the empty cup aside. "I really need to stop drinking so much caffeine. I'm never going to be able to sleep again in I keep this up."
"I can see how easily it would be to get addicted to this place," Kurt agreed, taking a long look around at his surroundings. "It's so... cozy. I could just sit here and drink coffee contently for the rest of my life, I think."
"I couldn't," Ryan countered, smiling mischievously. "I would have to get out to go shopping sometime. I can't live on one outfit. I'd pass-out from fashion deprivation." They shared a good laugh over this, Kurt agreeing that shopping might be the only reason he would want to leave.
"Well, or music," Kurt said after a moment's thought, finishing his own coffee and pulling out his wallet to pay for it. "Though I suppose if they installed a boutique and a stage in here, I'd never leave."
Ryan put his hand out to stop Kurt. "My treat. I invited you here, I'm going to pay for it." He took out his own wallet, which was pink and had a sequinned R.E. on the side, and paid for their drinks, leaving Jeanne a generous tip.
"You didn't have to do that," Kurt complained, stretching his back muscles as he stood up. They'd been sitting there a while. "My dad sends me a generous food allowance. He's convinced I don't eat enough."
Ryan ran an eye over Kurt's thin frame and shrugged. "You look all right to me," he said, and Kurt could've sworn he heard a flirtatious tone to his voice. Maybe I did, he thought, looking at Ryan apprehensively. I was obviously wrong about the guy. No straight man would ever dress like that in a million years.
"Say, I've been working on this project for a class of mine, and I've been having trouble practicing it because there's a female harmony— if you wouldn't mind, maybe you could help me with it? Since you can hit the high notes," Ryan suggested, smiling. "As long as you don't mind singing a girl's part."
Kurt shrugged. "I don't mind. I end up singing the girl parts more often than you'd believe."
"Well, then it's a date. I'll meet you outside the practice rooms in an hour, alright? I have to go grab my music and things."
"Alright," Kurt agreed, his heart fluttering uncontrollably. "It's a date."
A date! The little voice in his head whopped happily as Ryan ran off, waving to Kurt. Kurt raised his hand and headed for his own dorm, determined to fix his hair before meeting with Ryan again. A date!