Strangers In Love

Chapter 7

Flooded senses. Full body tingles. Free falling. Thought obliterating.

There weren't enough beautiful words to describe kissing Kurt. Sure, it was a little sloppy due to the copious amounts of of alcohol they had ingested throughout the day, but if Blaine could imagine the perfect moment, this would, without question, be it.

Waves crashed gently against the shore, creating a soothing ambiance as Blaine rose to greet the day. Last night, he and Kurt had fallen asleep outside in their cabana, still tangled in each other. Rather, Blaine had fallen asleep. Kurt had passed out mid-makeout session.

Excitement coursed through Blaine as he recalled the events of the previous evening. He chanced a look at the sleeping figure adjacent to him and was not disappointed to find he remembered every moment of the night in vivid detail.

Kurt's hand, which currently lay still on his shoulder, had roamed his body, snuck under his shirt, hitched his leg up, tugged lightly at his hair. Kurt's neck, which was on display, Blaine had not been able to resist. It was so soft and kissable and smelled strongly of Kurt— one of Blaine's new favorite smells. Thankfully (or maybe regrettably?), it appeared that he had not left any marks there in his drunken ravishing.

Blaine continued his inventory of the most alluring parts of the man he had spent the night kissing senseless. Kurt's hips, which were propped up against Blaine's leg, his chest, which trapped Blaine's arm beneath it, his mouth, which was slightly parted...Blaine could not have chosen a favorite body part of Kurt's if his life depended on it. He had officially hopelessly gone over the edge for Kurt with no sign that he would ever come back up.

Shaking Blaine from his reminiscence, the other boy stirred with a groan.

Blaine watched as Kurt woke and a smile spread across his face as he recalled how they had spent the night. The pleasure was short-lived, though, and as the residual effects of the alcohol set in, Kurt's smile soon turned to a frown.

"Oh my god, have I died and gone to hell?" His voice was scratchy and rough and way too hot for its own good. "I can't imagine you'd be at my side in a place like that, but I feel like I've been smashed by a truck, so by power of deduction, I've decided that must be where I am." Kurt buried his face into Blaine's neck, wallowing in his pain. "I'm so sorry I'm crushing your arm, but if I move, you will have the lovely task of cleaning vomit off of your chest. I don't think I've ever been this hungover before."

"Have you ever drank for twelve hours straight?"

"No, but I think it was those extra tequila shots that did me in."

Though he felt bad that Kurt was suffering, Blaine couldn't help the stirring in his pants at the memory of said tequila shots.

Kurt was very skilled at kissing, Blaine assumed. His first and last kiss had been in ninth grade, so he really had nothing to compare it to, but he was doing his best to imagine. They both had hold of the other's hips, pulling them as close together as humanly possible, erections brushing against each other as they let their hips grind along to a rhythm that was out of their control.

Blaine had never imagined that it could feel so good. Correction: he had definitely known that it would feel good in that way, but had not known that physical intimacy could make him feel so emotional.

The only thought that filled his mind was how quickly he was racing toward the finish line, and how badly he wanted it and everything else with Kurt, and Kurt alone. Kurt, however, seemed to have other plans, because he pulled away, putting a few inches of distance between the two of them.

"Cool it," Kurt whispered frantically. "Too close."

Blaine nodded. He could respect Kurt's wishes. Kurt must have seen the disappointment in his eyes, though, because he perked up.

"Is that bottle of tequila still out here?"

Blaine produced the offending glass container, and salt and limes, too, from behind him. "What did you have in mind?"

Kurt grabbed both items from his hands and set them nearby. He started unbuttoning Blaine's shirt, hands lingering over the gorgeous chest he revealed. Blaine couldn't really breathe between the anticipation and the extreme arousal he felt, but he was totally fine with that. Death by Kurt was absolutely the way he wanted to go. He nearly had a heart attack when Kurt dipped one finger into the tequila and trailed it down his chest, then sprinkled it with salt. Kurt poured a shot and held it up to show Blaine, eyes dark and full of a challenge.

Blaine nodded, throwing his head back as Kurt's tongue laved over the trail on his chest.

He was not sure how this was 'cooling it,' but he would not be complaining.

"...yeah, those were something else."

Kurt grumbled in agreement, squirming on the lounge, letting Blaine know he, too, was remembering the night fondly. "But they've left me nearly incapacitated. How are you okay right now?"

Blaine shrugged. "High tolerance, I guess."

A man carrying three yoga mats walked up toward them on their stretch of beach, waving their direction. Blaine fought the urge to laugh out loud at Kurt's misfortune.

"Uh, Kurt? Remember last night when you thought it would be a good idea to book a private yoga session on the beach for this morning?"

"No."

"Well you did."

"Shit."

Many, many attempts at convincing later, and Blaine had finally dragged Kurt down to the beach, where they were doing sun salutations.

Despite being incredibly hungover, Kurt was holding his poses as if he had been doing yoga all his life. He might have been, for all Blaine knew. Next to Kurt, Blaine must have looked like a full-fledged idiot, losing his focus and falling out of poses left and right. Blaine had actually done yoga multiple times, but this particular session had something that his others hadn't: Kurt. Shirtless Kurt. Shirtless, muscular, downright delectable Kurt.

In the mid-morning sunlight, Kurt's skin glowed as he stretched into inconceivable positions that showed off his lean muscle. The beads of sweat that formed on his neck and chest to accompany his intense concentration made Kurt impossible not to look at.

Halfway through his chaturanga, Blaine almost collapsed on the ground because of how amazing Kurt's arms looked. He silently thanked the appropriate power that Kurt was so absorbed in his yoga that he didn't notice Blaine's too-obvious obsession with watching him. The instructor, Honi, however, was a completely different story. As Honi pushed through to upward-facing dog, he sent Blaine a pointed smirk before moving to the next position.

The rest of the hour was sheer torture as Blaine attempted to center himself and ignore the glorious creature to his left. He failed more often than he succeeded, much to the amusement of Honi.

When they gave their "namaste" gestures and rolled up their mats, he winked at Blaine before turning to Kurt and saying, "Hey, Kurt, your form is beautiful. I think everyone in the class was really impressed."

Kurt glanced at Blaine and blushed.

Before things could get worse, Blaine steered Honi toward where his car was parked.

"Well, that was a great class. Thank you! Please leave now!"

Kurt and Honi laughed.

Blaine held out his hand. "In all honesty, thank you so much for coming to us this morning after we tried to hire you via a drunken midnight phone call. We really appreciate it."

"Any time, Blaine. Call me if you want to do it again!"

"We will, but maybe we won't drink so much the night before, next time."

They waved him off, laughing together, and wandered back to their cabana.

"That was just what I needed. Sweating it out is always the answer," Kurt sighed happily. Blaine nodded. Kurt sweating it out was definitely the answer for him. "But now I need a shower," Kurt complained.

"I've got a better idea," Blaine jerked his head toward the ocean.

"Race you!" Kurt took off, tearing across the sand to the water and splashing in until he was in up to his neck.

Blaine was right on his heels, dipping his head under water and throwing his hair back upon surfacing.

"How majestic," Kurt laughed, but his heart did not seem to be into it.

"What's going on?" Blaine asked.

"It's nothing. Just looks like it might rain later. Maybe we should take our trip into town a little earlier than planned."

Blaine agreed, but he was not convinced that nothing was going on with Kurt.

They splashed around for a few more minutes before deciding to head inside to prepare for the day's excursion.

"Hey," Kurt said quietly, nudging Blaine's arm as they walked up the beach. "You were easily talking to Honi back there. Why is that?"

"Oh," Blaine shrugged, "I was already in character, so I wasn't really thinking about it."

He noticed Kurt's shoulders visibly slump at his words. "You're still acting, then?" The hurt in Kurt's voice was plain as day.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying. I really am."

"Even after last night?"

"I...I wasn't acting last night." Blaine realized for the first time the truth behind that statement.

"Great," Kurt snorted, speeding up his steps. "You either have to act like someone else or be drunk just to talk to me."

"Kurt," Blaine called fruitlessly after him. "It's not like that! I'm sorry! It's the one thing about myself I can't change. And I desperately want to. For you!"

Kurt disappeared behind the bathroom door with a sad smile and an "I know."

Shit.

"I was completely out of line," Kurt apologized when they reunited after their showers.

"It's okay—" Blaine began aloud, sending silent thanks up to the sky, but Kurt spoke over him.

"It's not. So I'm sorry. I'm just very protective over my heart."

What does that have to do with anything? Blaine wondered.

"You're forgiven," he said simply. He couldn't imagine ever staying angry with Kurt.

Kurt reached over and shyly took Blaine's hand, causing the other man to laugh.

"There's no need to be bashful, Kurt. You licked lines of salt off of my body last night," Blaine winked at him.

Kurt dropped his head. "Please don't bring up the tequ—" he cut off, unable to say the word without gagging.

"I promise I'm not laughing at your pain. In a few days, you'll think it's funny, too."

"Wrong. Never." Kurt laughed, though.

"Okay, but aside from all that, you have to admit that yesterday was awesome." Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand and was rewarded with a brilliant grin. "I am having so much fun with you. It has been amazing getting to know you."

Kurt's smile faded to sadness again. "Yeah. I wish…" he trailed off and never finished his thought. "Yeah."

Not one to pry, Blaine let it go. He shrugged it off as he pulled Kurt toward the door. "Let's go check out downtown!"

Kurt's fingers were at the small of his back, guiding him outside so he could lock up, and Blaine was transported to the previous night.

Kurt's fingers were at the small of his back, guiding him to a sitting position, the other hand pushing the tequila, salt, and limes to the ground. A flare of intense desire ran through Blaine at the idea of Kurt taking charge, but was broken up by a giggle as Kurt unceremoniously dumped himself into Blaine's lap. Blaine's hands helped maneuver Kurt's legs to wrap around his waist, and Kurt's arms followed suit around his neck, swiftly reinstating Blaine's feeling of longing.

Suddenly, Kurt was kissing him with complete abandon, and suddenly, Blaine could perfectly imagine himself and Kurt in this exact position, just without all the clothes, and again, Blaine thought he may just die from how badly he wanted Kurt at that moment. Then, just as suddenly, Kurt was laying his head on Blaine's shoulder, and he was fast asleep.

Chuckling to himself, Blaine moved the two of them down on the lounge and stretched out the best he could while wrapped in the passed out boy who had only seconds before been making out with him passionately.

Happily, he thought to himself, I could really get used to this.

Watching Blaine walk through the streets of downtown Hilo like an excited little puppy felt bittersweet. Kurt was beyond frustrated with himself. Why couldn't he just be happy with what he had been given? So what if Blaine had to act around him? He was right; it was something he couldn't change. Kurt shouldn't hold that against him. He was so torn between just letting it go and enjoying himself, and putting distance between them until Blaine could be himself.

He pondered the choice while they wandered the spectacular farmers market. Kurt purchased as much as he could; fruit and baked goods and jewelry and gorgeous artwork. Blaine left with nothing in his hands save for a bouquet of bird of paradise flowers, which he gave over to Kurt with a "for you, good sir," and a kiss on the cheek, taking some of Kurt's shopping bags in the process to lighten his load.

Kurt had to stop himself from literally swooning in the middle of the street. How was Blaine even real?

He's not, he chastised himself. He's in character.

Still. Acting or not, this was the nicest any guy had ever been to him, and Blaine was blowing his dating expectations out of the water, so Kurt finally settled on enjoying it without letting his intrusive thoughts get in the way.

"Man," Blaine commented, pretending to be weighed down by Kurt's bags. "What did you buy?"

"I had to pick up souvenirs for all of my friends and family. I found things for my dad, Carole, Rachel, Brittany, Elliot...still need to find something for Santana, though. She's a bitch to shop for. It's very fitting, actually."

Blaine's eyes were wide. "That's a lot of people. Are they all family?"

"More or less," Kurt smiled. "I consider most of my friends to be family these days. How about you? Who are you bringing souvenirs back for? Can I help you look for anything specific?"

Blaine pulled a small, wrapped package out of his pocket, which turned out to be quite the feat since he had to juggle Kurt's bags around on his arms in order to do so.

"I bought Sam a necklace that he will love when we were back at the market. I'm good."

Kurt refused to accept that answer.

"What about everyone else? Parents? Siblings? Other friends? Don't you want to get something for them?"

Blaine shifted uncomfortably, slipping out of character for the first time. "No," he stated with an air of finality.

Kurt caught on immediately, apologizing.

"It's not my place to ask, I'm sorry. I'm not judging you, I promise. Do you want…do you want to tell me about it?" He sat down on a bench alongside the road and motioned for Blaine to sit next to him, pulling out a bag of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts for them to share.

Blaine sat and chewed on his snack before opening up.

"There's not much to tell," he said honestly. "You know how introverted I am. It's really hard to make friends that way. A lot of people think I'm nice, but I'm too quiet to get to know people well. Sam is the only person I would consider to be a friend to me, really. Well, now I have you, too." His cheeks blushed bright pink. "As for my parents and my brother, I love them. I do. It's not that we don't get along, even. It's just that we don't...not get along."

"Sounds lonely," Kurt said in a quiet voice. He was blown away by the sincerity that rolled off of Blaine in waves. He wondered if he was talking to the real Blaine, or if this was still him in character. It had to be the former. Kurt allowed himself to believe, and to soak up every second of honesty.

As if Blaine was afraid to say so, he nearly whispered his next words. "I've never felt less alone than I do with you."

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt's heart was on an actual roller coaster. There could be no other explanation for how it swooped when he saw the expression on the other man's face. It had to have mirrored Kurt's own expression, which was one of comfort, affection, and a little bit of fear.

They said no more, but finished off the bag of treats together, sending coy smiles back and forth all the while. Eventually, spotting the ever-darkening clouds in the sky that drew nearer and nearer, Kurt and Blaine moved along from the bench, off to find a gift for Santana.

It was a long endeavor, and an hour or so later, the boys tried to find their way back to where they had parked.

Distracted by their conversation (which had perked up noticeably and now bounced from topic to topic), they found themselves on an unfamiliar street. The stores were closed and looked as though they had been for some time, and there was little to no traffic. It was still midday, but the imminent storm darkened the sky, making the scene more ominous than it should have been.

Hoping to make a turn back toward where they started, they came upon a dim alleyway.

Leaving no time for rational thought, Kurt's body shut down. Words directed at him sounded like they came from underwater, and someone was shaking him, but he couldn't move.

Kurt had been there before. He had disappeared down that alley and not emerged until paramedics wheeled him away to the hospital. He had been seriously beaten in that alley, by hateful, abominable people. He never wanted to see that alley again. He wanted to run and never look back, but he couldn't move.

"Kurt! Kurt!" The words became clearer as he slowly came back to reality. The hands shaking his arms were Blaine's. Blaine. Blaine was there. The alley was not the same as the one in New York. He was in Hawaii, with Blaine. Kurt felt an inexplicable sense of safety.

"Jesus, Kurt, you're scaring me!" Blaine searched his face frantically for any sign that Kurt was okay, placing a soft hand on Kurt's cheek.

Instantaneously unfrozen, Kurt flung his arms out and around Blaine, who reciprocated in confusion, holding tight to the boy who could hardly control his breathing.

Blaine started to pull away after a minute, but Kurt's hands balled up further in his shirt.

"Not yet," he pleaded.

Their shopping bags littered the ground by their feet, and they must have looked ridiculous, hugging in the middle of the sidewalk like they had just been told the world was ending, but they did not care.

"Are you okay?" Blaine spoke softly into Kurt's ear.

"I will be. Let's get back to the car."

Kurt was beyond thankful for Blaine's uncanny new ability to sense what he needed, because he did not think he would have made it to the car without Blaine's arm wrapped around him, providing a steady, comforting presence.

Blaine, ever the dapper gentleman, opened the car door for Kurt and helped him in before sliding into the driver's seat himself and taking Kurt back to their villa in thoughtful silence. He offered his hand out to Kurt, where it stayed locked in his vice grip for the short ride.

The rain started to fall just when they pulled the rental car up in front of their villa.

Blaine carried in the bags and sat Kurt down on the couch, moving his pillow aside. He poured two mugs of Kona coffee and brought one over to Kurt, plopping down next to him.

"Want to tell me what happened back there?" Blaine asked gently.

"It seems silly now," Kurt prefaced, "but that alley we were standing by? It looked just like the place where I was attacked two years ago." The words came out in a rush, like Kurt was afraid that if he didn't say them quickly, he wouldn't say them at all.

Blaine looked at him with the question in his eyes.

"Hate crime," Kurt explained. "I was in the hospital for a few days. I've long since gotten over it, but seeing that alley that looked so much like the other…it took me right back there and caught me off guard."

"I understand," Blaine rubbed Kurt's knee. "More than I wish I did. It happens to me, too, sometimes. In parking lots."

A moment passed as his words sunk in.

"Who would ever want to hurt you?" Kurt asked, peering at the innocent boy over his steaming cup of coffee. Tears glistened in Blaine's eyes as he gazed back. Kurt was so grateful to have found someone else who understood, but imagining Blaine in pain at the hand of an ignorant monster was almost too much. He blinked back tears of his own.

"Thank you for being there for me earlier," Kurt said, covering Blaine's hand with his own. He smiled that same sad smile. "It's times like these that I feel like I'm seeing the real you."

"Why does that make you sad?" Blaine questioned.

Kurt took a breath. He might as well lay it all out now, since Blaine was asking.

"Because...because I don't know what's real and what's your character. I want to be free to just...feel with you, but I can't let myself do that. I've been hurt too many times before. I have to protect my heart."

Blaine's big eyes looked into his soul. "You said that earlier, too. What does it mean?"

How could Kurt deny those eyes?

"It means I like you, Blaine. It's only been three days, but I really, really like you. I just can't. I don't want you to have to act with me forever."

"I told you, I'm trying. It's getting easier," Blaine said, and it sounded like a plea. He was clearly as scared of losing Kurt as Kurt was of losing him.

"So you're saying that some of what I'm seeing is the real you?" Kurt was almost too afraid to believe it could be true.

Blaine still seemed confused. "What?"

Kurt pulled his hands into his lap, curling in on himself slightly. It was too late to go back now. All he could do was be honest, and hope that Blaine didn't hurt him like all the others before him.

"I am scared that the guy I'm falling for isn't really you. I'm terrified that when you can finally drop the act, you'll be someone different than the person I've come to adore over the past few days. And I don't think I could handle—"

"Kurt," Blaine's eyes flared with hope, reaching for Kurt's hands again. He looked like he was about to jump up and dance around the room, and Kurt had no idea why. "I am so sorry that I haven't been clear enough with you. The guy you've gotten to know? That's me. Even though I'm acting, everything that I've told you or that we've shared is 100% genuinely me, just bolder and more confident."

Kurt was dumbstruck. "Are — are you fucking serious? I've been so worked up over nothing?" He held onto Blaine's hands tightly, just in case it was a joke and he tried to pull away.

Blaine grinned. "Sounds like it. Now...tell me more about how you're falling for me."

Kurt playfully slapped his arm. "Shut up." He seemed lost in thought as he sipped on his coffee. "So all the things you've said…" he trailed off, thinking specifically of Blaine admitting he didn't feel lonely with Kurt.

"All true. Very, very true." Blaine gasped in surprise as Kurt threw himself into a hug.

Kurt relaxed into Blaine's hold, finally feeling like all of the pieces were falling into place.

Sooner than either would have liked, they separated. Both boys stared at each other, seeing with more clarity now.

"Today has been so emotional. Can we go back to how fun and carefree everything was yesterday?" Kurt asked eventually, placing his mug down on the end table.

He could see the idea forming in Blaine's mind.

"How about a little swim in the rain?"

Without warning, Kurt stripped off his shirt, trying his damndest to ignore Blaine's stare on his bare skin, and walked backward out of the room, winking at Blaine on his way out.

Blaine followed eagerly to their private pool, jumping in with a splash that made Kurt shriek.

With that, they swam in the rain. And if they ended up kissing more than swimming? Well, who was keeping track?