Strangers In Love
Chapter 3
"Remind me again why I agreed to do this," Kurt grumbled. He sat in the back of a taxi with Rachel, on his way to the Good Morning America studio. Kurt had never been a morning person, requiring coffee the moment he arose from bed, but even now, with a venti latte in hand, functioning as a productive human being did not seem to be a viable option. "The sun isn't due up for another few hours, but I'm expected to be?"
"Once you feel the rush of being on camera, this will all be worth it!" Rachel raved. Kurt glared at her simply for being so alive at such an ungodly hour.
When Kurt had received the call from an intern at GMA, asking if he would be willing to come on the show to meet Blaine live on air, Kurt had promptly hung up on her. He wondered how anyone knew about him and Blaine, and had been convinced it was some kind of stalker-y joke. He had still been sitting, stunned, when Rachel came home and explained overzealously that she had just seen Blaine's tweet and that it had garnered national attention. He made her prove it, unwilling to believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. Even afterward, he still could hardly believe something he had been involved in had gone viral.
The woman from GMA called back to try again, and Kurt gave her a chance this time, mostly because he was still stunned speechless from finding out about Blaine's tweet. She described their vision for having the boys meet on their morning show, which Kurt had scoffed at. He had no actual intention of meeting this guy. The intern made it sound romantic, but Kurt knew the moment would be far from magical. Still, Rachel had worked her persuasive magic and convinced him that the publicity he could gain from this could help advance his acting career. That, and Kurt was quite suspicious that Rachel was still holding out hope that Kurt would miraculously fall in love with Blaine, so that she could add "master matchmaker" to her résumé.
So now they sat, way too early in the morning, on their way to hair and makeup, so that Kurt could meet the boy who Rachel had messaged on his behalf three years ago. He gulped down his coffee.
Despite the caffeine intake, Kurt closed his eyes and slept the rest of the ride, waking only to Rachel pulling on his arm much too aggressively for his liking.
"Did you have to yank my arm so hard?" Kurt criticized, massaging his shoulder. "I think you dislocated it."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a baby. Would you have preferred I throw my coffee in your face instead? Because that was my other option."
"Could you have woken me up like a normal person? You know...tap me on the leg, call my name?"
"You're going to need more coffee. Blaine will never like you if you're so grumpy." Rachel shook her head as she led the march down the sidewalk.
"I don't need him to like me."
"You need to adjust your attitude."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I brought my mom with me," Kurt drawled sarcastically.
Rachel pouted, falling a few steps behind him. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, crossing his arms.
"What do you want from me?" He asked warily.
"I just want you to keep an open mind. Blaine could be nothing like what you're expecting."
Kurt held a deep breath before letting it rush out. He was being unnecessarily closed off about this. He just didn't see how Blaine could be someone he wanted to date, when nobody ever seemed to be anyone he wanted to date. Or, more accurately, he never seemed to be someone anybody wanted to date.
"I'll tell you what. If you're right and Blaine exceeds expectations, I will give him a chance."
Rachen considered his offer for a moment. She stuck out her hand, waiting for him to shake on it.
"You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Hummel."
Blaine was 85% positive that Sam was awake as they were to be taken back to the space where Blaine would be dressed and made up for the show, though he was acting like he was dead asleep. Whereas Blaine could roll right out of bed at any given time of the morning and practically run a 5k, Sam took at least two hours to reach the point where he could even put together an appropriate outfit for class. Blaine very much appreciated that his best friend had come with him to the GMA studio, but he wished Sam was a little more lively.
"Sam!" He called. "Sam! We've got to move."
No response.
Blaine poked him in the arm and Sam collapsed to the side in his chair. Blaine grabbed Sam's cheeks and shook his head back and forth quickly. "I know you're awake. Get up!"
No response.
"Dude! There's food backstage!"
Sam was out of his chair like a shot.
"Huh." Blaine smirked.
"Where's the food?" Sam asked with a scratchy morning voice, searching around the room. "You better not have been lying to me."
Thankfully, as they made their way back to the dressing room area, Blaine spotted tables of food set up for the anchors and guests to snack on.
"There's the-" Blaine cut off to find Sam already loading up a plate. He laughed to himself as he made his way toward the chair that a young stylist was indicating to him.
Blaine greeted the stylist and let her take over, chatting idly as he tried to shake off the jitters and relax completely. For some reason, Blaine was quite excited and anxious for the show today. He had always wanted to be on television, yes, but there was something else there, too. Something else he was not willing to admit.
Had he asked Sam, Sam would have known. But that was just Sam - weirdly perceptive. He always seemed to know things about Blaine before Blaine knew them about himself. Sam would have said that Blaine was lonely. He was lonely and unwilling to put himself out there for fear of uncertainty and vulnerability. Not in so many words, of course. Sam knew that this meeting with Kurt was an excuse for Blaine to meet a new boy without having to reach out himself. He knew that deep down inside, Blaine hoped that Kurt would somehow turn out to be amazing and that they would hit it off. He also knew that Blaine thought that was a ridiculous notion that could never come true.
While Blaine was having the finishing touches put on his hair and makeup, he received the rundown of the day from yet another intern.
The anchors, Michael and Lara would introduce the segment, then during the package that talked about how Blaine and Kurt's relationship had begun and developed, starting from the initial message to where they were today, Blaine would be given the nod to find his way on stage to the stool that sat on one side of a screen separating him from Kurt. When the video finished playing, Michael and Lara would ask Blaine and Kurt a few questions, and then it would finally be time for them to come face-to-face.
That would be the moment of truth. The moment when three years of halfhearted messaging back and forth would culminate...into what? Either Blaine and Kurt had chemistry or they didn't.
Blaine did not allow himself to hope that they did.
"All right, Kurt. Come stand right here, and I will give you the signal when you can go sit by Lara."
Kurt nodded to the sweet older man wearing a headset and holding a clipboard. He was not feeling any pre-show nerves like he usually did before performing, but then, he did not have any particularly strong feelings about meeting Blaine. He truly had agreed to come on the show because he hoped that Broadway directors would recognize his name when he auditioned for them. Now that he had graduated, Kurt could actively pursue his career in musical theater, and being one of hundreds of other new graduates seeking Broadway roles, he needed all the help he could get.
Rachel squeezed his hand from her position on a chair behind the scenes.
"Open mind, Kurt. He could make you happy."
"I don't need a man to be happy," he scolded her. But even as he said the words, he felt a pang of longing for the type of relationships some of his friends had. Kurt was a romantic at heart, and despite his independence, he craved that sort of emotional intimacy that only a boyfriend could give him.
"I know you don't," Rachel assured him. "But you deserve one who can."
He heard the sounds of the introduction package filling the studio, and tuned in to the man who was supposed to cue him. The man gave him a nod and gestured toward the stage. Kurt brushed non-existent dirt off of his black skinny jeans and made sure his sleeves were still rolled perfectly to just above his elbow. He smoothed his striped button down shirt and took the few steps to the stool that awaited him next to Lara. She shook his hand and complimented his look before the recording ended and she turned back to the teleprompter.
"And here are the two lovely young men now!" She announced. "Welcome, Kurt."
From the other side of the screen, he heard Michael say, "Welcome, Blaine. What is it like to be here today?"
A voice, presumably Blaine's, gushed. "It's incredible, Michael. Thank you for inviting me here. I can't believe I'm actually going to meet Kurt."
Uhh, whoa. Gorgeous voice.
Blaine's words felt like velvet against Kurt's ears. He had never heard such a sexy voice before. A voice that actually sent tingles down his spine. He never wanted Blaine to stop saying his name.
What the hell?
Kurt was suddenly wracked with nerves. The first thing Blaine would find out about him was what his voice sounded like. Kurt knew his voice was unique. What if Blaine hated it?
He tried to shake it off. He wasn't sure when he had started to care what Blaine thought of him. How could someone's voice change his entire preconceived opinion of them?
He realized Lara was speaking to him and he tried his best to focus on what she said.
"How do you feel, Kurt, to finally be meeting Blaine in person?"
Rachel had drilled the answers to these questions into his head.
"It's wonderful to be here, and to have this opportunity. It's been a long time in the making for Blaine and myself."
Kurt may have been imagining things, but the next time Blaine spoke, he sounded giddier than before. Still, Blaine sounded confident and at ease. Like he was born to be on television.
The boys discussed how their joke had begun and how it had progressed. Blaine let slip that when it first started, he had not been interested in a relationship.
"If you weren't looking for a date," Michael said, "then why were you on Grindr?"
Blaine laughed. "I'll let you in on a little secret. My roommate set up the account for me."
"No way!" Kurt blurted out, turning his shoulders so that he faced the screen behind which Blaine sat. "My roommate set up my account! Hence, the ridiculous picture from a high school performance."
Kurt could have sworn he heard Blaine breathe a laugh of relief.
"What a coincidence," Lara commented. "Let's see if you have anything else in common. Kurt, what is your favorite TV show to watch?"
"The Bachelorette," he said instantly.
"Blaine?" Michael asked.
"The Bachelorette is my guilty pleasure show! My roommate can't stand it, so I sneak in episodes when he's not home or when he's sleeping. Sorry, Sam!"
Kurt clapped his hands together excitedly. Every guy he'd met so far in New York hated his favorite show. An unwanted image of himself and a faceless figure watching The Bachelorette while curled up together under a blanket infested his mind.
"Okay, Kurt," Lara snapped him back from his thoughts. "What is your go-to karaoke song?"
"Coincidentally, because it's the song I was singing when I wore the costume in my profile picture, 'Bad Romance.'"
"What is yours, Blaine?"
"Funny that Kurt should say a Gaga song, because even though I'm usually more of a Katy Perry fan, my go-to is 'You and I.'"
Kurt forced his fingers to loosen their grasp on each other. He was sitting on the edge of his seat (literally and figuratively) hanging on Blaine's every word. It did not seem possible for them to have so much in common. Who was this guy?
"Last question. Kurt, if you had an endless supply of one dessert, what would it be?"
"Cheesecake. For sure."
"And you, Blaine?" Michael asked.
"Chocolate covered strawberries."
The audience laughed. "Well! That sounds like a romantic date setup right there!"
Kurt realized there was a huge smile plastered on his face. He tried to compose himself and make himself look less eager and more like the put-together adult he was.
"Well, you two, it's time to meet. Please step forward in front of the screen and say hello to your Grindr date!"
Kurt's heart was beating harder than he had given it permission to. He got to his feet and slowly walked toward the front of the screen, holding his breath until Blaine came into view.
He had promised Rachel he would give Blaine a chance if she was right and he wasn't what Kurt was expecting. Kurt really hadn't wanted Rachel to be right.
But now…
Shit.
Rachel was right.
Kurt may have been holding his breath, but Blaine was breathing rapidly in anticipation of coming face-to-face with Kurt. The other boy's answers to the questions had been perfect. And his voice. Blaine absently wondered what Kurt would sound like singing that Gaga karaoke song. Amazing, probably, with that vocal quality.
He straightened his bow tie and buttoned his navy blazer, then stepped forward, keeping his eyes down and hands in his pockets.
He sensed Kurt before he saw him. He heard the little intake of breath, smelled the spicy cologne, and finally, he saw.
Holy fucking hell - oh my sweet beautiful mother of - how could this godlike human even be real?
Kurt looked equally as floored, but seemed to recover faster than Blaine. He quirked a small smile, which brought Blaine back from the moment.
"Hi," Blaine said simply. At least his words didn't come out as jumbled as his thoughts.
Kurt stepped forward for a hug, which Blaine eagerly returned.
As Kurt's arms wrapped around him in a strong embrace, he thought, Oh god, that's it. I'm done for. Blaine only knew three things about this guy: his voice was heavenly, he was drop-dead gorgeous, and his hugs were to die for. But those three things were enough. They were all Blaine needed to know at the moment.
His body immediately protested when Kurt pulled away, but instead of chasing Kurt down and never letting him go like he wanted, Blaine forced himself to remain in place.
The audience cheered for them as they stood a good foot apart from each other, though Blaine wanted nothing more than to move closer. The grin on Kurt's face as he peeked over made Blaine's grow even wider.
Lara and Michael walked up to join them seconds later, asking more questions about their journey so far.
Blaine kept sneaking glances at Kurt when he wasn't looking, and he was sure that Kurt was stealing looks at him as well. Blaine felt very self-conscious under his stare. He highly doubted that anyone as good looking as Kurt could find him attractive. What if Kurt was staring because he was disappointed in what he saw?
Blaine began the familiar downward spiral of self-deprecation and was already resigning himself to the idea that this would go nowhere, and that he wouldn't ever talk to Kurt again, when Michael's announcement changed everything.
"Because your first date is three years in the making, we think the two of you deserve something epic. We are sending you on a week long dream date to Hawaii!"
Kurt spluttered and couldn't find words, so Blaine put on his best actor face and spoke for the two of them.
"Wow, that is so very generous. Thank you, GMA, and thank you to everyone who has come along for this ride with us. We are so grateful and look forward to our date week!"
Then the segment ended and the cameras stopped rolling and Blaine and Kurt were herded off to another room to wait to be interviewed once more. The second the cameras were off of Blaine, his awkwardness consumed him. He wanted so badly to talk to Kurt, but didn't know how.
Great, Blaine thought. I can't even get up the nerve to say hello. We have to spend a week together and I can't even talk to him.
Sam's last words to him before the filming began rang through his mind. Don't fuck this up, Anderson!
Glancing at the unbelievably beautiful man sitting next to him, Blaine vowed to do his best to listen to his roommate for once.