Chapter Twelve

oOo

Summary: Will the proud music teacher eventually find love with the beautiful kindergarten teacher or will he forever come second to the football coach? Rated M.

A/N 1: Wow, 57 reviews, 70 followers, OMG! Thank you so much for the enthusiasm you've shown for my little story. It means a lot that people are having fun with this, almost as much as I am. I hope to never disappoint you so here's part one of the date.

Disclaimer: None of these characters belongs to me except for any OCs found wandering. I own nothing save for this computer.


Noah pulled under the huge porte-cochere of the Strando house and handed his keys to a parking valet. He scoffed at the thought of parking valets in cow town central, Lima, Ohio. He stepped up onto the beautifully-patterned brick front steps leading to a wide verandah-like porch before reaching the wide white door with its brass knocker. He didn't get a chance to knock because it was wrenched open and there was Daria Strando, resplendent in a flowing ivory chiffon-like dress that complemented her rich colouring. At least, Noah knew that is what Kurt would have thought. He himself was almost engulfed into her dangerously low décolletage as she greeted him effusively as if he were a long lost friend… or lover.

"Puck, oh my God! You made it! Oh my God! Oh wow, don't you look hot!" Her voice was grating to his ear and he winced, quickly disguising it as a chuckle as he moved away from her clutches. She grasped his arm and almost yanked him across the threshold and turned to look at him again once they were inside the foyer of the huge house.

"Mmm, I don't know the label but that is one hot outfit, Puck," she purred, one long nail running down the front of his black Alexander McQueen sweater. "All these lovely muscles… My, you've only got better over the years."

Noah smiled – well, he hoped it came across as a smile and not the grimace that it felt like – and wished he'd chosen something other than such a close-fitting top. He'd gone through his closet to come up with something that was both casual and classy and chosen one of his favorite shirts. The way Daria was eyeing him made him feel a little uncomfortable, considering this was her husband's house and he was supposedly somewhere nearby.

He grabbed her hand firmly but gently and decided to turn on the charm a bit. He smirked in that sexy way that used to work so well for him and stared into her wide eyes. "Well, I do work out a bit, especially now I'm a dad. Gotta stick around to see my baby girl grow up…"

He kept his voice quiet and slightly husky and grinned internally at the way her eyes seemed to glaze over. He raised an eyebrow and then sharpened his voice a bit. "So, your husband around? It would be good to see him again," and crossed his fingers behind him for the lie that was.

She seemed to shake herself out of a daze and then laughed in what she no doubt felt was an airy, sophisticated way. She waved one hand towards a door near the back of the gleaming foyer and grabbed his arm with the other.

"Oh, yes, everyone's out by the pool. I hope you brought swimwear – or not…" and laughed again as she tugged him along and out the door to what had to be one of the largest garden and pool areas Noah had seen in Lima. He didn't remember this house from his list of clients when he had his pool-cleaning business in high school. He would surely have remembered this pool with its faux-rocks at one end glistening under a cascade of water.

There were about forty people sitting or strolling around and only a few were in the pool. From their ages they seemed mostly to be people that Strando did business with and/or had known in school. When he'd thought of the Strando party he'd pictured some raucous 'girls gone wild' set up but this wasn't too bad.

Daria waved to a dark-haired man in expensive casual clothing talking to three older men and he excused himself and came over. Noah immediately remembered him as one of the meatheads from their football team and he pasted on a wider grin. He realised that this was Strando when he surged up and slipped one arm around Daria's waist, holding the other hand out to Noah.

"Puck, my man! Good to see you. I couldn't believe it when Doll-face here told me you were back in Lima… and with a kid, yet!" His loud, overly boisterous laugh was even more annoying up close than on the phone but Noah smiled and shook the hand, releasing it quickly and nodded.

"Yep, I'm teaching music at McKinley and got my kid enrolled at the kindergarten," Noah said blandly, his eyes sliding across Strando's, trying with every brain cell to remember the guy's first name. They'd had a habit of calling each other by their last names and he'd even forgotten that some of the guys even had first names.

Strando's eyes narrowed but his teeth gleamed as he stared at Noah. "Oh, yeah, yeah, you were one of those show choir kids. I remember now," he said heartily although the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Clearly, he remembered far more about Noah than the other man did but before Noah could reply, Daria chirped up.

"Oh, Nicky, you remember Puck was on the football team with you!" She giggled as she batted her eyelashes at Noah. "We were certainly huge fans of his, the Cheerios, that is."

Noah groaned inwardly and affected a vaguely puzzled look as he turned to glance at her. "Yeah, wow, that was such a long time ago. Don't remember much; you know what they say: if you can remember it, you weren't doing it right."

There was an odd little silence in which Strando stared hard at him and Daria looked a little taken aback. Suddenly Strando barked a laugh and then he slapped Noah on the arm in a friendly manner and pulled him along as he moved off.

"Come on, let's get you a drink! There might be a couple of people here you remember, too," and with that the tension eased and Noah moved off with him with barely a glance back at a pouting Daria.

The afternoon wasn't as bad as Noah had expected it would be and he spent some time talking with a couple of business types who apparently remembered him from when he was a Titan. They had attended schools that McKinley's team had played and, like many former school athletes, spent a great deal of time recalling their 'glory days'.

Daria kept hanging around him, though, and every now and again Noah would look up to find her husband's eyes on them both. She spent a lot of time stroking his arm, batting her ridiculous lashes, licking her lips and made sure to squeeze herself into the chair next to his when they sat to eat.

The food was really good, catered no doubt, but Noah kept thinking about Kurt and how superior his food was. Despite the beautiful setting, the abundant food and liquor that flowed non-stop, Noah was fidgety, dying to get out of there and get back to Kurt. When the afternoon started to edge into evening and the group started to disperse with lots of insincere wishes that they should all keep in touch, Noah got ready to make his escape.

He looked around for somewhere to place the drink he'd been nursing and turned around, bumping into Daria who simpered up at him. "Oh, Puck, you aren't leaving just yet, are you?" Her pout was nowhere near as appealing as she clearly thought it was and Noah stared over her head to where her husband was seeing a few of his guests out.

"Uh, yeah, actually... I've got plans for later and I need to head out now if I don't want to be late." He smiled at her without showing any teeth and stepped around her but she moved closer, her breasts almost brushing against him.

"Well, she's a lucky girl, whoever she is. Maybe I know her?" Her lips had tightened a bit as he was speaking but she smiled now with her eyes wide and enquiring.

Noah laughed, genuinely amused and wondered how she would react if he told her the name of his date. He was saved from replying by Strando's return and he handed Daria his glass before turning to her husband, holding out his hand again.

"What, you leaving already?" Strando tried to look as if he actually wanted Noah to stay but he wasn't that good an actor. Noah grinned at him and nodded.

"Yeah, hot date later, y'know, so I gotta go. Thanks for inviting me," he grinned, angling his body towards the house so his body language would force the other man to move with him. Sure enough, Strando – Nick – walked beside him as they headed back through the foyer and out the front door. The valet waiting out there dashed off to retrieve Noah's car and as he waited he looked up at the house. "You have a great house, man, really beautiful."

Bingo! For the first time since Noah arrived, Strando looked at him with anything approaching warmth. "Oh, thanks, my old man worked his butt off to move us into this when I was in school. I have a huge soft spot for it," he said now as they both looked up at its gleaming façade. Noah actually thought the design was a little overwrought but it was still a striking-looking building.

When his car pulled up and the valet jumped out, Noah moved down the broad steps and called out a final, "Thanks again, it was great!" and slid behind the wheel. Strando waved him off, a big grin on his face and Noah sighed, finally relaxing and his mind immediately went to the beautiful man who was waiting for him.

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oOo

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Kurt took a deep breath as he opened the door, knowing that his colour was a little high but smiling through the sudden onset of shyness. His eyes widened as he took in Noah's outfit; a tight black sweater with a soft sheen to it was coupled with grey slacks, slim dark grey leather belt and shiny dress shoes. A long, black trench coat completed the outfit and Kurt's mind blanked. Mouth-watering was the only thing that registered in the one grey cell floating in Kurt's dazed mind.

Noah chuckled as he stepped past Kurt, shutting the door as it seemed Kurt had forgotten how. He was pleased with Kurt's reaction to him; it wasn't an ego thing, not really. He was so gone on Kurt he always felt a little off-kilter with him; to know that he did the same to Kurt just leveled the playing field a little, in his opinion.

He smiled down at his beautiful date and grasped his hands, holding them out to the side so he could properly feast his eyes on Kurt's own quite stunning ensemble.

Kurt ducked his head, feeling a little ridiculous that his latent shyness should choose this moment to surface. He knew he looked good but the way Noah was looking at him he wouldn't be surprised if he suggested they simply head back to bed.

He'd chosen a vibrant purple Alexander McQueen shirt with thin black scrollwork along the pointed collar and the edge of his cuffs and turned things up a notch with snug black leather D&G pants and knee-high black boots.

"Kurt, babe…" Noah's voice dwindled to silence as he stared at Kurt. Why was this man still in Lima and not walking the runways of Paris, Milan … New York? "Wow, you look… amazing!" he breathed, his voice soft as his eyes ran all the way from Kurt's gleaming dark hair to the tip of his sexy black boots.

Kurt laughed, his voice as soft as Noah's and he moved closer so that Noah automatically wrapped his arms around his waist. "You haven't greeted me properly yet, Noah," he murmured, his lips within tantalizing reach – and Noah happily obliged him.

He moaned into the sweet mouth and wrapped his tongue around Kurt's. He moved his hand to slide over the high, tight ass in the cool, smooth leather pants and wondered how he'd got so lucky. He loved the way Kurt felt in his arms and he absolutely loved Kurt's habit of playing with the hair at his nape when they kissed.

They pulled apart, only slightly breathless and smiled into each other's eyes. "Hi," Kurt whispered, punctuating his greeting with another lingering but closed-mouth kiss.

Noah, tightening his arms around him, pulled back slightly to smile down into the brilliant blue eyes. "Hi, yourself, beautiful."

Kurt stepped away and did a little fashion turn but stopped with his back to Noah. He looked back at him over his shoulders with his eyelids half lowered. "You did say sexy and semi-formal, right?"

Noah grinned and came up to slide his arms around him once more. He nuzzled the smooth cheek and then nibbled an earlobe. "And you certainly managed both," he muttered before stepping back and releasing him.

Kurt picked up a leather jacket that had slightly exaggerated shoulders and started shrugging into it, smiling as Noah moved to help him with it. When he was finished he turned around and Noah had to shake his head again.

Noah's admiring look made Kurt's smile broaden but he decided to shift the focus from himself. "Is that an Alexander McQueen sweater you're wearing, Mr. Puckerman? My, your tastes have certainly improved from the letterman jacket-wearing days."

If his eyes hadn't been roaming so appreciatively over Noah, he would have thought Kurt was being sarcastic but there was only genuine admiration in the blue-green depths. He shrugged but smiled. "We all have to grow up sometime and living in New York for a time helped my tastes develop."

Kurt nodded in agreement. "It's interesting but my shirt is also Alexander McQueen, from his very last collection… so we have something in common. I must say black definitely suits that slightly dangerous air you have about you," Kurt said teasingly although he was being sincere.

Noah grinned and as they continued bantering back and forth about their tastes in clothes, Kurt locked up and they headed out to the car. There was something exciting about this being their first official date and Noah was glad that he'd decided to head out of Lima. Kurt deserved to be shown off and the limited vision and mindset of the Lima-ites was not what Noah had in mind.

Now as he backed out of the driveway, he prepared himself to be tortured the whole way with Kurt trying to wheedle their destination out of him.

"Come on, Noah, I would tell you if I were taking you out instead," Kurt almost whined, his dignity preventing him from going full bore. He realized they were heading out of Lima as he recognized the highways, of course, but apart from the fact that it was somewhere sophisticated, he knew nothing.

"Relax, babe, just know that you will love this place. This restaurant is the talk of the town, trust me." Noah reached over to grasp Kurt's hand and bring it to his lips.

Thirty minutes of steady driving brought them to what appeared to be an upscale business area and then Kurt got excited when they turned into the parking lot of a modern high-rise building. Its car park was, oddly for that time of night, nearly three-quarters full with all sorts of vehicles gleaming under the bright security lights. Parking valets were seen to be scurrying about and Kurt turned to lift an eyebrow at Noah, smirking as he said, "Hmmm, valet parking, eh? Where have you taken me, Mr. Puckerman?"

His lilting voice, a little lower than his norm, did lots of naughty things to Noah's libido and before Kurt could turn to exit the vehicle, he snatched a quick kiss. He chuckled at the faintly startled look on his lover's face and told him: "When we get inside, you'll see, babe."

He handed his car keys to a kid who looked barely old enough to drive and he snarled at him without saying a word. The kids eyes widened and he gulped, slowing the dash he was about to make to jump behind the wheel. Kurt giggled and slapped Noah lightly on the arm.

"Come on, let the poor kid park the car in peace, 'Puck'," because Noah's action reminded him of their high school days. He waited for Noah to look down at him, smiled and batted his long lashes and then sauntered ahead of him, an extra little sway in his step.

Naturally, Noah forgot all about the kid and his car and hurried to catch up to Kurt by the building's entrance. He grabbed the door for him, smirking at Kurt's teasing look and they entered a whole different world.

The foyer of the building was all smoky glass, gleaming steel, ultra-modern paintings and objets d'art, making Kurt breathe happily in awe. Noah led them over to a bank of stainless steel doors behind which were elegantly appointed elevators. Noah pressed the button for the ninth floor and when the doors opened, he waved a hand for Kurt to precede him. Kurt, smirking at Noah's continued gallantry, murmured, "…and 'Puck' has left the building."

Noah laughed with him, shrugging as he slid an arm around Kurt's slender waist, pulling him close to him but before he could do anything, there was a 'ding!' and the lift doors parted. They stepped out into another foyer, this one with the faint odor of sizzling meat wafting to them and they grinned at each other. They were both more than ready for some good food. Noah once again opened the darkly-tinted glass doors for Kurt and they stepped inside the restaurant.

Kurt stopped in his tracks and his pink lips formed that 'o' that Noah so loved. He couldn't blame him; when he'd heard about this place, he'd gone online and checked it out. He would have sworn they were in some other city besides Westerville, Ohio, what with the high-end, cosmopolitan look of the place. The décor was in shades of red, gold and black, with accents of gold and green and dramatic kabuki masks adorned the walls in between the huge floor-to-ceiling tinted windows. The lighting was exquisitely modern, the little individual chandeliers looking as if they had come straight from Paris, France. All the linen was black and the chairs were upholstered in fabric that looked as if it cost the earth.

"Welcome to Agemasu, gentlemen, do you have a reservation?" A cool, slightly accented voice broke them from their awed inspection of the place and they turned to smile at the gorgeous Asian woman waiting politely on them at her podium.

Noah gave her his name at which she nodded, ticked something off in a huge book before her and then she snapped her fingers. A young waiter appeared at their elbows, almost startling Kurt with his sudden, near-silent approach and they were led to their intimate table for two. The place was huge but not crowded and the tables were spaced in such a way that servers could pass each other rapidly without fear of colliding.

Kurt breathed deeply in satisfaction, his eyes bright with the pleasure of being in such a beautiful setting and Noah congratulated himself on his choice of restaurants.

When they were seated, they were given a wine menu – not just a list – and they whispered and giggled as they decided on an apéritif before dinner. They had no idea yet what they would be dining on so they decided to wait until then to choose a wine to go with their entrée.

"Goodness, Noah, how did you hear about this place?" Kurt had leaned forward to whisper but he realised that the spacious restaurant allowed for relatively private conversation without the fear of their neighbors overhearing them.

Noah smiled at him, pausing to survey Kurt's glowing face before replying. "A foodie friend in New York had read great things about this place and he knew I was from Lima so he told me. It's kind of pretty modern stuff but I really hope I'm not going to be served some teeny little portion on a huge plate!"

Kurt stifled a burst of laughter and shook his head. "Hey, the way to get around that is to order a bunch of those teeny little dishes; that way you're bound to get enough eventually."

They laughed together, taking pleasure in deriding those pretentious restaurants where diners paid more for being seen there than for the food. With this in mind they studied the menu their server had brought and decided to share a platter of Tsukemono (Pickled Vegetables) and one of assorted fresh spring rolls. The Gyoza Dumplings looked appealing so Kurt added that as well. The description said it was lightly fried beef and vegetables in crispy dumpling wraps so he figured Noah would enjoy that in particular.

They took their time enjoying their appetizers which arrived in a much shorter time than Kurt was accustomed to so he was immediately impressed with the service. They fed each other, giggling at the cliché romantic nature of their antics and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The next two courses were combined when they decided on a huge Sashimi Salad which consisted of Tuna, Yellowtail, Salmon, Cucumber and Daikon on Gourmet Spring Mix with Ponzu Sauce and Sesame Oil. They spent as much time gazing at each other as they did at their food and Kurt knew he had never enjoyed a meal so much.

Kurt thought it was a good thing they'd gone through three courses already because Noah took forever to decide what he wanted from the list of entrées. Kurt didn't blame him because the choices were vast and all were mouthwatering. He decided fairly quickly on the Chicken Tempura but Noah, who was leaning towards a beef dish, couldn't seem to make up his mind.

Finally, when their server arrived to take their orders, Noah surprised Kurt when he decided to go with the Tonkatsu, lightly breaded and fried pork loin which was served with special Tonkatsu sauce. They chose a wine they were assured would complement both their choices and Kurt almost squirmed in anticipation.

The dishes were as delicious as their descriptions and Noah and Kurt ate, mostly in silence but with an undercurrent that kept them glancing at each other's eyes every so often. The clink of cutlery on plates and the occasional hum of pleasure was the most sounds that they made and when Kurt finally sat back, he took a sip of his wine and then smiled at his lover.

"I think I'll always remember this date, Noah," Kurt murmured as he leaned towards his companion. Noah, unable to help himself, stole a soft kiss, humming with the pleasure of Kurt's smooth lips on his.

Kurt flushed and pulled back, his eyes darting shyly about the room to see if they had been noticed. Noah grabbed one of his hands and leaned forward to catch his eyes.

"Babe, don't do that… I don't care who may be watching. I want to kiss you because you're beautiful and irresistible and I wish I'd stepped up years ago." Noah's voice was low and thrumming with sincerity and Kurt's eyes were riveted to his.

They stared at each other, lost in the silent conversation: I wish you had / I was afraid / I know / I love you.

They were brought out of their daze when the maître d' suddenly appeared at their table, smiling her beautiful but cool smile. "Is everything to your liking so far? Is there anything else we can get for you?"

Kurt blushed and looked away but Noah nodded firmly, a faint smile on his face as he told her everything was wonderful. She smirked then, aware of his underlying meaning and left after saying, "If there's anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."

Noah chuckled at the way Kurt sipped his wine a little too fast, a sure indication of nerves. "Hey, babe, you okay?" He slid his hand back over Kurt's and squeezed it, relaxing a bit when Kurt beamed at him from behind his wine glass.

Kurt nodded and put down his glass. "I- I just realised that I_," he broke off and looked down at their hands, studying the contrast of their skin colour. He looked up and when Noah saw the seriousness in the blue-green depths, he just knew what Kurt was about to say.

"I know, sweetheart, I know…" and he squeezed Kurt's hand, not wanting him to say the words here, over the remains of their meal. When Kurt said the words he wanted to be holding him and a restaurant, as discreet as it was, just wasn't the right setting. He smiled softly as Kurt's eyes flew up to his, slightly wide but he nodded.

It wasn't long after that they decided they'd had enough and Noah indicated to their server that he wanted the bill. Soon afterwards, they were heading back out of the dark-tinted glass doors, Kurt's gushing appreciation to the maître d' causing Noah to chuckle.

"Come on, babe, the night's not over yet," Noah said now as he once again led Kurt to the bank of elevators. This time, when he pressed a button, it didn't have a number but the letter 'R'. Kurt raised an eyebrow enquiringly but Noah simply smiled and shook his head, "Just wait."

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TBC