Chapter Nine
If Only, If Only
Sebastian was seething throughout the film. He hadn't had a chance to speak to Kurt without Blaine rudely interrupting. When he attempted to tell Blaine - very politely, as they were still in Kurt's presence - that he needed to leave, Blaine simply feigned innocence.
Blaine sat on Kurt's left, while Sebastian was forced to be neglected on his right. Blaine had bought a large bag of popcorn (presumably just for him and Kurt) that Kurt insisted on sharing with both of them. When Kurt was preoccupied with the vibrant opening musical number "Under the Sea", Sebastian pulled out his phone and sent a scathing text to Blaine.
While Ariel, the naive Disney princess, traded her voice for legs, he watched as Blaine leaned close to Kurt's ear and whispered something that made him laugh. Blaine looked pleased with himself before grabbing a few buttery kernels of popcorn from the bag on Kurt's lap.
Sebastian could barely focus. Kurt only acknowledged him a few times, and that was whenever his cartoon namesake appeared on screen. In fact, one of the ways that he knew the cartoon crab was on screen when Kurt would poke him in the side. Kurt had Sebastian's sweater neatly folded on his armrest at the beginning of the film, but had pulled it on because he had felt cold.
Finally, the movie ended. Kurt walked out, clutching the nearly empty popcorn bag and looking nostalgic.
"I haven't watched The Little Mermaid in so long," he gushed. "Thank you, uh, both of you. I don't think I would have known about this showing if I hadn't been invited out."
"You're welcome," Sebastian said earnestly. He glanced at his watch, aware that Blaine was turning on his phone. "Want to go get some ice cream? Or is it too soon?" he joked.
Kurt smirked, understanding the reference. "Funny, Smythe. I could go for ice cream and a burger, actually."
Sebastian brightened. "Great! There's a diner just two blocks from here that serves the best burgers and sundaes."
Kurt smiled directly at him, which Sebastian felt was for the first time in years. "Sounds good." He turned to Blaine. "Are you coming?"
Blaine's eyebrows rose at the message displayed on his screen. Nevertheless, he smiled and said that he'd be delighted to join them. He purposefully slung his arm around Kurt's shoulder again as they walked out.
The night was still considered young in Ohio. Ten-fifty on a weekend meant that there were underage teenagers sneaking into the evergrowing line for the popular (and expensive) nightclub, Four Hundred. Sebastian eyed a few girls in line who were wearing short skirts and crop tops, but remembered that he was on a quasi date with a very handsome boy.
He turned to crack a joke to Kurt, but he was already deep in conversation with Blaine over Broadway musicals.
"My favorite's Wicked," Kurt shared warmly. "Idina Menzel is flawless. I've watched my DVD of it about a million times already."
Blaine chuckled. "I've met her, and she's a refined woman. Infinitely kind, that Idina."
"I've met Kristin Chenoweth," Sebastian said. "To be honest, I've never met a more vibrant, hilarious lady."
That caught Kurt's attention. Now his glasz eyes were focused on Sebastian.
"I heard about that. Do you really keep in touch with her?"
Sebastian nodded, eager to have an in with his should-be date.
Blaine nudged Kurt. "Let's get some food before you internally combust." His smile didn't waver, but Sebastian knew the look behind Blaine's eyes. He was annoyed that Sebastian was finally getting a few words in.
"All right." Although Blaine kept his attention, Kurt kept looking excitedly over at Sebastian. Sebastian grinned back, throwing a wink in for good measure.
As Blaine rattled on about his first Broadway experience, Sebastian detected a faint flush of pink on Kurt's cheeks. Sebastian concluded that there were about four factors that could have caused him to blush. One: Blaine and his carefree and offhanded flirting. Two: the slowly decreasing temperature. Three: Kurt's own thoughts. Four: the wink he'd thrown his way.
He liked to think that it was due to the latter.
Little Tweets was a quaint diner nestled between a bank and a bikram yoga studio. It sold everything from the infamous Nutella mousse pie to the crispiest, melt-in-your-mouth grilled cheese sandwiches. The walls were painted sky blue with puffy white clouds, with several colorful birds thrown in every which way. In the early twenty-first century, Little Tweets was known as the "bird diner". Now it was known as the "Twitter diner". The light blue color scheme, the same blue as Twitter logo, didn't help either.
Kurt slid into the first booth he saw. Sebastian tentatively slid opposite him, while Blaine nabbed the chance to be next to Kurt. They skimmed through the small blue menus, mentally listing what they'd like to order.
A svelte waitress traipsed up to their booth almost immediately, her curly red hair pulled back into an incredibly high ponytail. From the way that her brown eyes glinted, she had yet to discover the gang's true preferences.
"Hello! I'm Mindy, and I'll be your server for this evening. What would you like to start off with?" She giggled and bit her lip, waiting for Blaine's response.
Blaine smiled amiably. "I'd like a Nutella milkshake and a grilled cheese on whole wheat bread."
Mindy giggled. "What about you?" She pointed a long, fake fingernail at Sebastian, her voice suddenly lower on the last word in an attempt to be seductive.
"My friend and I would like Nutella milkshakes too," Sebastian ordered, with a nod of confirmation from Kurt, "and two inside-out cheeseburgers."
Mindy twirled a few strands of hair around her finger. "I'll be back with your orders in a jiffy!"
As soon as Mindy flounced away, the boys collectively sighed in relief. Kurt was glad that the ordeal was over for now. Sebastian was happy he hadn't been recognized and that he'd been able to order for Kurt without protest. Blaine was annoyed that Sebastian had ordered for Kurt, but was pleased that he was going to order some delicious food. Besides, Blaine had the upper hand.
"I never got to ask you," Blaine said, nudging Kurt gently, "if you enjoyed the concert."
Kurt smiled sheepishly. "It was the best concert I've ever been to."
"How many concerts have you gone to?" Sebastian interjected.
"Three. Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and yours." Kurt scanned the menu again. "You know, I still can't come to terms that I'm hanging out in a diner with you two. I'd just been to your concert."
Sebastian's grin widened. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you. I-"
Blaine interrupted him. "Kurt, I meant what I said. On the photo, I mean. I did want to see you again, but I didn't know how." He shrugged, suddenly interested in the salt shaker. "I'm glad I ran into you tonight."
Kurt looked straight into Blaine's hazel eyes. "I'm glad we met again, too."
An assortment of feelings rushed through Blaine as they maintained eye contact. Astonishment, for he had only hoped that Kurt would feel the same way; happiness, because now he knew that he did; and a twinge of guilt. He glanced over at Sebastian, who had quickly become enthralled with his iPhone. His guilt intensified.
Mindy returned with the food all too soon. Sebastian ate, keeping his gaze firmly on his light blue plate. Blaine chewed on his grilled cheese sandwich with verve. Kurt daintily sliced and ate his cheeseburger slowly.
When crumbs were all that were left on their plates, and their tall milkshake cups were slurped dry, Blaine paid the bill (insisting on both Kurt and Sebastian's behalf) and they left.
"What do you want to do now?" asked Sebastian, whose spirits had lifted due to the good quality of the food. It was true that a nice warm meal could change a person's mood. "Sneak into Four Hundred? Crash a party?"
"It's getting late," Kurt observed. "I told my dad that I'd be going to a movie with a friend. He'll be worried if I'm out past midnight without informing him first."
"Well, we should take you home then." Kurt knew that he hadn't imagined the dismay in Blaine's voice.
Sebastian flagged down a taxi. They slid into the backseat and headed back to Kurt's house. Blaine sat on Kurt's left, while Sebastian occupied the rightmost seat.
"If you want," Kurt said slowly, "you can come in and hang out for a bit."
"Absolutely," Blaine replied. "I haven't been able to really hang out with someone since I moved out of Lima."
Sebastian responded, "If it's not too much trouble for you, I'd like to spend a little more time with you."
"When do you have to leave, anyways?" Kurt inquired as the taxi pulled up to the Hummel-Hudson estate.
"We have a week allotted." Blaine unbuckled his seat belt and swung open the door. "Pierce, our agent, wanted to give us time with our families."
"He's kind of our agent, manager, and pain in the ass all in one," Sebastian remarked dryly, paying the taxi driver in twenties. "I don't know the real difference between an agent and a manager, though, so I prefer to call him my manager."
The taxi sped away.
Kurt glanced down at his attire just before they reached the front door. "Oh," he said, sounding embarrassed, "I'm wearing your sweater."
Sebastian shrugged. "Keep it. It looks better on you than it ever has on me."
The compliment warmed Kurt's cheeks. He turned and raised a fist to knock on the front door, but it swung open before he could. Burt Hummel observed the trio from just beyond the doorway. His eyebrows rose when his gaze landed on Blaine.
Finally, he said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Come inside before you freeze. Anyone want coffee or tea?"
Kurt's father's hospitality made Blaine smile. If only, if only, he thought as he sighed inwardly.