Chapter 32
oOo
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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: I thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews, PMs, etc. One note, I've only visited Miami briefly so I hope I've made not startling errors. Please enjoy and remember to review!
Disclaimer: None of these characters belongs to me except for any OCs found wandering. I own nothing save for this computer.
To say Miami was nothing like Kurt had imagined would be a heck of an understatement. From the moment they had touched down at the private corporate airport and stepped into the sweltering heat, Kurt was nearly overwhelmed.
Noah had watched him turn his face up to the brilliant sunshine and had had to suppress a laugh. He doubted Kurt's porcelain-fair skin had ever felt anything like this before.
They had been whisked away to their hotel in a waiting town car, their luggage safely stowed in the trunk and as they sipped the complimentary champagne, they had both gazed out the windows at the scenery whizzing by.
Kurt had turned to Noah, a happy grin on his face. "Oh goodness, sweetie, I don't know if my usual sunscreen is up to all of this!" He had waved his hand, the one holding the half full champagne flute at the window and Noah had grinned at him in understanding.
"Yeah, even during my pool-cleaning days, I doubt I felt anything this intense, ever!"
They had chuckled and relaxed against the sumptuous upholstery, hands clinging as they wallowed in the excitement and luxury of the moment. Miami was fabulous, what they had seen so far and by the time the car had pulled up beneath the hotel's portico, they felt like typical tourists.
They had been greeted by a manager who apparently knew all about them and then they were whisked away to see their suite, hardly given time to gape at the stunning hotel.
Kurt felt as if he were in one of those programs that he sometimes caught on The Travel Channel and he was tempted to pinch himself to see if he were really awake. He had grinned over at Noah who apparently was trying to act as if all this was in a day's work for him and he giggled at him happily.
When they were shown into their suite, their personal concierge had strode over to the huge French doors and shown them the balcony first thing. The man, Brian he said his name was, happily described how the architect had managed to incorporate unprecedented privacy into the design of the patio.
"Some of our guests love these honeymoon suites especially because they can sunbathe au naturel, if they want to. No one from any of the other suites' balconies can see anything. Great, huh?" He had grinned at Kurt's beautiful eyes that had widened in delight.
Noah, not entirely appreciative of the way this Brian guy was eyeing his husband, nodded though and thanked him. However, "I don't think my husband is into sunbathing – much," Noah said with a smirk, only to be shot down by Kurt himself.
"Oh, no, even if I have to use sunscreen with 200 spf, I will be using that balcony!"
Noah had gaped at him while Brian suppressed a smirk and then proceeded to show them the rest of the suite's amenities. Kurt and Noah eyed each other with intent when they saw the large hot tub and Kurt had exclaimed, "Oh, my, with all of this, we probably won't want to leave the suite to go sightseeing!"
Brian had nodded but told them, "It would be a shame if you came all this way and didn't take in the sights. Miami is great, I love it here."
Noah looked at him and asked, "Not a native of Miami?"
Brian grinned and shook his head. "Naw, I'm from Milwaukee, but I hated the cold so right after college, I drew out all my savings and headed here. I've never regretted it."
Finally, Brian gave them a pager and reminded them that anything – anything at all – they needed, they should just call him. The guys thanked him and when Noah went to tip him, Brian drew back and grinned at him.
"Everything's all-inclusive for you gentlemen. Your stay is completely comped." He moved to the doors of the suite and when he was heading outside he looked over his shoulder one last time. "Welcome, and we hope you have a fantastic time with us!"
Kurt turned on the spot and looked around the suite, realizing that their luggage had preceded them. "Wow, this is beautiful, sweetie; gosh!"
Noah moved over to take him in his arms and nuzzled his neck as he muttered, "It's been hours since I kissed you; stop talking now," and he took Kurt's mouth in a hungry kiss.
Kurt moaned, his hands sliding up Noah's chest and kneading the muscles there almost like a cat. He rocked his hips against his husband's, his breath catching at the feel of the hardening cock bumping against his.
He tore his lips apart to pant and he stared up into Noah's darkened eyes. "Wanna christen the hot tub?"
Noah grinned down at him and after he dropped a swift kiss on Kurt's lips, told him: "You have the best ideas!"
They laughed as they hurriedly stripped out of their travel clothes and dashed into the en suite, Kurt hurrying to set the tub to filling. He and Noah stepped into the all-glass shower and washed the grime of travel off quickly before they settled into the tub. Noah groaned as the jets hit his back and shoulders and he pulled Kurt towards him.
Kurt settled between his husband's legs and sighed, deeply content and reached for one of the loofahs on the side of the tub. He emptied half of one bottle of bath beads into the water and giggled as the dissolving action tickled along his legs.
Noah sighed as he stroked his hands up and down Kurt's body, his mind drifting as he kissed a trail up his husband's long, damp neck.
"Mmm, I could stay in here for hours," Kurt murmured as the scent of lavender and roses settled around them.
Noah hummed in agreement, nibbling Kurt's earlobe before adding, "Especially with you right where you are," and Kurt turned to smile at him.
"You say the sweetest things, Noah," he murmured and then pressed his lips against his husband's. They kissed languidly for a long time, no passion rising, just love and affection and a desire to explore. Noah's hands tightened against Kurt's body, encouraging him to turn around and Kurt found himself lying against his husband's muscular body.
When they'd kissed for untold minutes, Kurt eased back, rested his head against Noah's damp shoulder and stared up at him through spiky lashes.
"So," he said now with a glint of mischief in his blue-blue eyes. "Are you going to feed me or will we stay in here until we turn into sea foam."
Noah's eyes widened as he stared into Kurt's smirking face and then he threw his head back and laughed. "Damn, boy, you could just have said you were hungry!"
Kurt giggled happily, dropped a peck on Noah's smiling lips and shrugged, "Yeah, but where's the fun in that if I can tease you instead."
Noah shook his head as he stared at Kurt's glowing face. "I love you…"
Kurt's breath caught and then he bit his lip, his lashes lowering before he leaned forward. With his lips against Noah's he replied, "I know…"
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…
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Finally dry and dressed in fairly loose, cotton clothing, the two headed down to the ground floor to look around first before deciding where they would eat.
Kurt eventually declared that he wanted to try typical Miami cuisine and Brian gave them a number of choices.
"Guys," Brian grinned at them now, "here in Miami, you're only limited by your imagination. Just decide what you are in the mood for and you'll be able to get it."
Kurt almost bounced in excitement beside Noah who grinned down at his husband fondly. He slid an arm around Kurt's waist, mainly because once again Brian's eyes were just too admiring but also because he just liked doing it. When Kurt slid his own around Noah's waist, all was well in his world.
Brian eyed the newlyweds and grinned inside. He realized that Kurt was oblivious to other people's admiration; he was solely focused on his hunky husband. Brian didn't blame him; although he mostly went for Kurt's type, he would definitely not kick Noah out of his bed.
With them finally prepped on what they wanted to try first, Brian arranged for a car and soon the couple was off and away on their culinary adventure.
They gazed happily at the passing palm trees and the hundreds of people they could see, most of them skimpily clad in colorful outfits. It seemed that most of them were tourists just like Kurt and Noah as they were mostly dressed in swimsuits with shorts and flip-flops on their feet.
Soon, after a relatively short drive, the car pulled up in front of a rather nondescript building, the façade of which looked as if it had been painted by hyperactive five-year-olds. Kurt grinned as he looked about, noticing that the tables around the – well, he could almost call it a shack – was filled with happily guzzling people.
Their driver turned and grinned broadly, his teeth bright white in his very dark face. "Okay, this is 'Mi Hija' and it's the best place for anyone first time in Miami to eat at." His accent was unusual and when Kurt asked he explained that he was originally from the island of Trinidad. "Charles is the name but everyone just asks for 'Charley'."
Kurt asked Charley about the restaurant, noticing that he pronounced it "mee-hah" and he turned to grin at Noah, his eyebrows way up his forehead as if to ask, "You okay with this?"
Noah nodded and thanked the driver who said he'd be back for them in an hour and a half. Kurt thanked him and slid out of the car, followed quickly by Noah.
Really, they probably should not have kept the A/C on in the car because the sweltering heat descended on them like a moist blanket. Kurt giggled in surprise and he turned to Noah to see that his husband was already spouting cute little dots of moisture on his top lip.
"Wow, I can't believe this is supposed to be wintertime!" Kurt grabbed Noah's hand and tugged him up the winding, haphazardly-laid stone path towards the door of the eatery.
Thankfully, inside was slightly darker and only minimally cooler, with large, ancient ceiling fans turning slowly to keep the heated air moving. It was hard to believe they were still in the continental U.S. - in winter! Kurt looked about avidly at the other diners, his eyes shining as they waited for a waiter to scurry up to them.
"Table for two?" The guy barely waited for a nod before he was dashing off and Kurt and Noah only smiled as they followed him.
The guy, Ramon, his tag said, waved them into rattan chairs that were surprisingly comfortable and then pointed at a large, old blackboard with menu items scrawled all over it.
"Welcome to 'Mi Hija'; this your first time in Miami, yeah?"
His shiny black eyes roved over Kurt's very pale skin, although it was flushed faintly pink now because of the heat and smiled at Noah who had nodded.
"Well, at 'Mi Hija', we do mostly dishes from Cuba, the Caribbean and a fusion of both. Some of it is pretty spicy, some – not so much." He pulled a little ring-bound notebook and a stubby pencil that he used to point at the menu board again. "I suggest you start with something tall, cool and citrus, okay?"
Kurt nodded happily, licking his lips as he realized he was rather parched. He was so happy he'd worn an all-cotton outfit because he could already feel his tank top clinging to him. He figured if it got too hot, he could take off his outer shirt and he'd still be decently covered. Apart from his lovers over the years, no one had ever seen Kurt completely unclothed.
Noah eyed the board and asked the waiter for something unusual. "Surprise us; we're from Ohio so everything up there looks good to us."
The waiter nodded and grinned, assuring them he'd be right back with their drinks. Noah nodded and looked at Kurt who was once again staring around the place and he grinned. He loved that Kurt always looked like a little kid, more so now when he was seeing something interesting for the first time. He was glad that they had remembered cameras and he knew Kurt was going to use this trip as part of his show-and-tell segment back at school.
In what seemed like no time at all, Ramon was back with two tall but fat-bottomed glasses brimming with ice, juice and what looked like pineapple and orange wedges on a toothpick, sticking out the top.
Kurt clapped when his was placed before him and Ramon grinned when he took his first sip and actually moaned. Noah shifted uncomfortably in his seat because, seriously, that sound should be for his ears only!
"Oh wow, this is sooo good!" Kurt took a second, longer sip and then sat back, grinning at Ramon. "What is this?"
"Oh, just a little something we mix up different for each guest; no two glasses of juice are the same." Ramon was feeling rather smug because he had come up with the idea himself. He knew from years of experience that some diners preferred slightly sweeter tastes and some were the opposite. He had had a feeling that Kurt would prefer sweet more than sour so, although his drink was similar to Noah's in appearance, the percentage of sweet to sour was slightly higher.
Noah sipped his drink and then licked his lips in appreciation, nodding at Ramon to let him know he was in total agreement with his husband.
Ramon, happy with himself, tilted his head in the direction of the menu board, silently asking if they were ready to order. After a couple more sips, Kurt announced, "I want the seafood platter; that looks fascinating."
Ramon nodded approvingly as he scribbled rapidly on his pad. "Uh, it's a pretty big platter; you going to share?"
Noah glanced at Kurt and nodded, adding: "With a side of fries; is that okay?"
Ramon bit his lip, glanced at them and then said a little more tentatively than he had before: "It's not a problem; it's just that this would go better with white rice. I guarantee you will love it."
Kurt grinned over at Noah who gave in graciously. "Okay, I guess we can do fries another time. Thanks, Ramon," and he smiled as he watched the waiter bounce away, miraculously missing the other waiters dashing about.
"How they can move that fast in this heat is beyond me," Noah muttered as he took another sip of his delicious, cold drink.
Kurt grinned too. "Mmhmm, was wondering the same thing, too. I guess they're used to it, you know."
They sat and sipped in silence, realizing as the minutes passed and the aroma of the other diners' dishes wafted over them, that they were famished.
When Ramon returned in about thirty minutes with their order, Kurt and Noah dived right in, their ecstatic murmurs blending with that of the other diners.
The condiments on the table included bottles of crushed pepper, soy sauce and the ubiquitous ketchup but the guys found they didn't need to add a thing to their meal. The recently caught seafood was swimming in a light, fragrant sauce that Kurt swore to duplicate somehow when he got back home. The shrimps, mussels, bits of lobster and crab were all tender and juicy and he felt like a pig when he finally leaned back, stuffed to the gills.
Noah was in no better shape. Ramon had refilled their drinks and now he sat, sipping the last of his second glass of juice and feeling as if someone would have to roll him out of the restaurant. As he looked around, he realized that most of the diners, who seemed to be tourists like themselves, were in just about the same condition. The copious amount of food and drinks, coupled with the heat, brought a contented torpor to the atmosphere and every looked sated.
He glanced over at Kurt, taking in the beautiful color in his husband's cheeks and as much as his heart wanted to promise him a serious bout of lovemaking on their return to the hotel, he knew his body wasn't up to it.
Kurt looked up in time to see the faintly lustful gleam in his husband's eyes and he grinned ruefully at him. "Babe, you're going to have to hold that thought while we sleep off this meal!"
Noah's eyes widened and he laughed out loud before asking, "How the hell did you know what I was thinking?"
Kurt pffed at him with a slight wave of one languid hand. "Please, anyone can read that 'strip-him-naked-and have-my-way-with-him' look!"
Noah's full-throated laugh brought several heads around but they were oblivious in their own little world. He took Kurt's hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a soft lingering kiss on the slender fingers.
Kurt's breath caught because, although grand gestures were universally considered romantic, little things like Noah doing this in public meant a lot to him. His smile was brilliant and they stared at each other, only coming out of their little trance when Ramon bounced up to their table.
Ramon had seen the way the two looked at each other and figured it was time to bring the check. Noah handed over his credit card, hardly looking at Ramon who scurried away with a knowing smirk on his face. He hurriedly processed their bill, dashed into the kitchen and came back to the table with a white cardboard box in his hands.
Kurt glanced away from Noah with wide eyes as Ramon placed the box gently before him and handed the receipt and credit card to Noah simultaneously.
"Compliments of the chef to the newlyweds!" Ramon announced cheerfully, grinning as Kurt inched open the lid of the box and then slammed it shut.
"Oh, my!" He laughed at Ramon's pleased expression and said, "Please, thank him for me… I love coconut macaroons!"
Noah and Ramon grinned at the greedy gleam in his eyes but he ignored them to hum in happy anticipation. When they left, a sizeable tip was waiting for their happy waiter and Kurt and Noah left 'Mi Hija' full and contented.
Their car was waiting and Charley, their easygoing driver with the Trinidadian accent, asked them where they wanted to go next. Noah shrugged, leaving it up to Kurt who announced that they needed to walk off some of that excellent lunch. Charley drove them to a boardwalk that, although startlingly crowded, afforded them some of the wonderful sea breeze.
They walked, hand-in-hand, dodging kids and adults alike who all were in a festive, light-hearted mood. Noah felt as if his cheeks would fall off from all the smiling he was doing; he was so happy to be here, not just visiting the famous city but on his honeymoon with the love of his life.
Kurt, swinging their arms as they walked, took in the towering hotels, the crowded streets, the noise, the music and felt as if he were in a different sort of heaven. No one looked pointedly at him and Noah walking hand-in-hand and the heat felt so fantastic on his skin, he just knew they were building memories for a lifetime.
He was also extremely happy that they had remembered their sunglasses as well as a camera; the light was bright and intense, nothing like he'd ever seen before. Sometimes they would stop to snap happily away at either the folks on the boardwalks, interesting storefronts or the people on the beach.
At one point, Noah lifted his chin towards the gorgeous blue of the sea and asked, "Do you want to go swimming in that one day?"
Kurt had bit his lip, his dimples popping as he tried to suppress a shy smile and then had shaken his head. "I don't know; I've never been half-naked in public before…"
Noah slid closer and dropped a quick little kiss on the tip of his nose, smiling at Kurt's wide eyes behind the sunglasses. "Nothing to worry about, babe, I'll be here to beat off the admirers."
Kurt laughed out loud, shook his head at his husband and then grasped his hand to continue walking. "No, silly, my skin is so pale I feel it might blind the people around us."
Noah grinned down at him, saying, "Hey, now is the time to get a little color if you want to. I personally love the color of your skin. The word 'mouthwatering' comes to mind whenever I look at you."
There was a note of sincerity in his voice that had Kurt's cheek flushing even redder than the heat had made them. He pooh-poohed his husband shyly and looked away, ostensibly at some kids roller-skating and flying kites at the same time. To distract Noah from the conversation that hadn't really convinced him to go lie out on the sand and bake in the sun, he pointed at the kids.
"That's something I think we could try," and laughed when Noah's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "What, I can do athletic stuff, too!"
They laughed as they continued strolling and when they reached a man with a colorful cart surrounded by yelling kids and a few adults, they stopped to observe. In a break in the crowd, Kurt read the words 'sno-cone' on the side of the cart and turned to Noah inquiringly.
"Uhm, I don't know what that is but it looks good; wanna try some?" He grinned at Noah, his eyes gleaming. When Noah nodded, they waited on a few slow-moving vehicles to pass and then dashed across the street to join the line of yelling, sno-cone deprived customers.
When they finally got up to the cart, the skimpily clad girl who was assisting the man, smiled hugely at Noah, leaned over so far that her pendulous breasts swung alarmingly and asked him what he wanted.
Noah, used to that kind of overture even from complete strangers, simply turned and looked at Kurt who announced brightly, "I'll have a small sno-cone and my husband will have a medium."
The girl, her smile dimming slightly, nodded and prepared the sno-cones, asking what kind of syrup they wanted over their shaved ice while Noah paid the man for them. Kurt selected a mix of orange and passion fruit with a dollop of strawberry syrup and Noah said he would try mango and lime. Kurt crinkled his nose at him, whispering "too sour" and laughed out loud when Noah whispered back, "you're sweet enough".
Their first afternoon in Miami was an unqualified success and when they rejoined Charley where he'd let them out near a pulled-pork sandwich stall, they were beat. Kurt glanced at the box with his coconut macaroons and grinned to himself, shushing Noah when he teased him about getting jealous of the pastry.
Kurt leaned over to whisper salaciously, "I'll let you have a little 'sumpin-sumpin' when we get back," and laughed aloud at Noah's huge grin. He shook his head, once again congratulating himself on snagging such a highly-sexed and sexy man for his husband.
Charley ignored the whispers and giggling in the back seat, smiling to himself as he drove them at an easy pace back to their hotel. He loved ferrying newlyweds about; they were so funny, thinking nobody was noticing their antics. Right now, he would bet the darker guy had his hands somewhere on the paler guy, from the sounds of the squeals and giggles.
When he let them out at the front of the hotel, both of them flushed and giggling, he waved them off when they tried to tip him. Charley just bade them a good evening and told them he'd be around the next day if they wanted to continue sight-seeing. Kurt and Noah waved him off happily saying they would ask for him and they scampered up the steps like kids.
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oOo
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The rest of their honeymoon went pretty much like the first days, interspersed of course with a couple of different events but all in all, they were tanned and almost sated by the time New Year's Eve rolled around.
Kurt announced that evening as they got dressed for the first time in fairly formal clothes that he had never celebrated New Year's Eve anywhere there wasn't snow on the ground. Noah had agreed, although one year, in New York, it hadn't snowed because it had been too cold for it.
Now they grinned excitedly as they dressed in nearly identical clothing, Kurt in a white, button-down shirt open at the neck with a navy blue suit and Noah in a black button-down shirt with a black suit. He looked dangerous and sexy in all black at the best of times but tonight he looked even sexier to Kurt.
He watched Noah fix the collar of his shirt and when the ring flashed in the overhead lighting, Kurt smirked to himself. Ahhh, that's what's made the difference, he told himself happily.
Noah turned to watch Kurt put the finishing touches to his swept-back hair and thought how he absolutely glowed. The days out in the intense Florida sunshine had given Kurt freckles across the top of his cheeks and his nose and Noah was torn. The freckles reminded him of childhood but, for some reason, on Kurt they just looked sexy. He'd thought about it and had come to the conclusion that it was because it was something new about Kurt and that always fascinated him.
He gathered up their keycards to the suite, made sure he had his wallet and then turned to wait for Kurt, admiring the way the jacket showed off Kurt's shoulders. His husband's coloring was so delicate, people often forget that Kurt had quite a masculine body but he was here to tell them that his husband was all man, nothing feminine about him at all.
Well, Noah amended that as he watched the way Kurt's thick lashes swept down and up again to reveal the interested gleam in his blue eyes as he stared back at him. Kurt had a few features that women would die for, including the curving, plush pink lips that needed no extra color.
Noah took advantage of his status and hauled Kurt into a deep kiss, swallowing the surprised sound that escaped his husband. After kissing Kurt into a daze, he stepped back, admired the deeper color to the pink lips and then slid his hand down to grasp Kurt's.
"Come on, beautiful, we don't want to miss the cocktail hour."
Kurt stumbled after him into the elevator and was silent all the way up to the penthouse where the party was being held. He stared at Noah with wide eyes and his husband pretended to ignore him, all the while grinning to himself at getting Kurt to look so spaced out.
By the time the elevator dinged and they were disgorged into a loud, milling and liquor-swilling crowd, Kurt had regained his equilibrium. He thought of a way to pay Noah back and smirked himself as his husband looked at him suspiciously. There was no way Noah would get away with kissing him into a stupor and then leaving him half-hard.
The members of the wait staff whirled through the crowd of partygoers with endless trays of hors d'oeuvres and wine, the guys resplendent in their white shirts and black bowties and pants. The girls were in black dresses with little white bowties that glittered and Kurt thought they were the cutest things.
They found a small round table at the side of the room and grabbed it before another couple could, grinning at them good-naturedly as they took their seats. They nibbled and drank and tried to chat over the loud, thumping music but gave it up after a while. The food was delicious, the wine was cold and the deejay was earning what was probably an outrageous paycheck for this party.
When a particular song came on, Noah nudged Kurt and asked him to dance. Kurt nodded, wiped delicately at his mouth with the little cocktail napkin and took Noah's outstretched hand. They headed into the heaving, gyrating, hands-in-the-air mob and flung themselves into the music. Shortly, since neither of them was wearing a tie, their shirts were unbuttoned a little farther down than when they had started.
Song after song came on and everyone was still on the dance floor until the MC for the night told them that the hour was nigh and that everyone should find the one they wanted to be with when the hour ticked over into the new year. The wait staff scurried about with their trays of champagne flutes and soon everyone had a glass.
The huge almost wall-to-wall liquid crystal screen lit up to a picture of Ryan Seacrest in Times Square and they all cheered and whistled as he prepared to start counting down the seconds. When he reached ten, everyone joined in, no matter where they were, obviously and the noise was tremendous. Kurt grinned giddily and half-way down the final countdown, he felt an arm sliding around his waist. He looked back to see Noah staring down at him instead of at the screen.
"Five!"
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"ONE!"
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Noah, still standing behind Kurt, leaned in to whisper beneath the cacophony around them, "Happy New Year, beautiful!" and Kurt replied, "Happy New Year, sweetheart," and then their mouths were sealed together.
Everyone around them was kissing or trying to kiss their partners, some people were quaffing the expensive champagne like it was apple juice and still others were gyrating and singing along to the sounds of 'Auld Lang Syne'.
Kurt and Noah were lost in each other and when Kurt turned around to slip both arms around Noah's waist, he sighed and parted their lips. He stared up into the sober hazel gaze and lifted the hand free of the wine glass to cup the side of his beloved's face.
His eyes glowed as he stared back at Noah and then he smiled before saying, "I never want to be anywhere but in your arms, Noah. I love you."
Noah closed his eyes briefly and then pulled Kurt into a hug, careful of his own wine glass still in his hand and whispered, "I love you more than I can ever say, Kurt. You are the love of my life."
They pulled back, looked at each other and smiled before kissing softly. They only stopped when a bright young voice beside them said obliviously, "Champagne!"
Kurt and Noah chuckled as they nodded at the young waitress who filled their glasses quite efficiently before scurrying away with a loud, "Happy New Year!"
Kurt shook his head and then sipped thirstily at his champagne, his eyes going back to Noah who he found had been looking at him anyway. He smiled behind his glass and then held it out towards Noah. When their glasses touched, Kurt murmured, "
"Here's hoping this new year will be one of new and happy beginnings. Cheers, sweetheart."
When they had sipped, Noah took Kurt's free hand and said softly, "I hope this year brings you all your heart's desire, babe. Mazel tov!"
They clinked their glasses softly before sipping, identical soft smiles wreathing their damp lips.
Noah led Kurt back to their blessedly still there table and when they were seated, he pulled Kurt into a hug. They were going to be served dinner (yes, after midnight) and as they watched the wait staff set up and the other patrons settle in to wait on the scrumptious fare, they listened to the band playing some old standards. One in particular caught Noah's ear and he hummed along before singing softly.
Baby I'm yours
And I'll be yours until the stars fall from the sky
Yours until the rivers all run dry
In other words, until I die
Baby I'm yours
And I'll be yours until the sun no longer shines
Yours until the poets run out of rhyme
In other words, until the end of time
I'm gonna stay right here by your side
Do my best to keep you satisfied
Nothing in the world can drive me away
'Cause every day you'll hear me say
Baby I'm yours
And I'll be yours until two and two is three
Yours until the mountain crumbles to the sea
In other words, until I eternity
Baby I'm yours
'Til the stars fall from the sky
Baby I'm yours
'Til the rivers all run dry
Baby I'm yours
'Til the poets run out of rhyme
Baby I'm yours
Kurt's eyes were damp and brilliant when Noah finished, his voice fading to a whisper as his serenade ended. Kurt would not have thought Noah knew the song, much less all the words and he was happy his husband was able to surprise him. He leaned over to press a soft kiss at the corner of Noah's lips and pulled back before the other man could kiss him properly.
And just in time too because the army of servers started coming around and the enticing aroma of the hot food was, indeed, welcome. Kurt gripped Noah's hands, mouthing 'thank you' and he giggled softly when Noah colored slightly.
The rest of the night – well, technically morning – went by as if in a dream, another memory for them to stash away and take out and examine wonderingly as the years went by. Right now, though, they simply basked in the ambience of the ritzy setting, enjoying the delicious food and wine and the chance to simply be themselves – Kurt and Noah.
Too soon they would head back home to family and friends and co-workers. Too soon, Noah would have to deal with the one fly left in the ointment, now that the Strando woman had been 'neutralized'.
Yes, too soon Noah would have to explain to Kurt about Donna, the phone calls and the vaguely threatening promise that she was coming to visit.
Right now was their time, the penultimate night of their Miami honeymoon and Noah would not let any possible future annoyances impinge on this glorious, stress-free time with Kurt.
He looked over at his husband who was happily savoring his New York-style cheesecake and grinned to himself. The love of his life was beside him, they were happy and they had a huge bed in their suite downstairs to christen for this newly-arrived year.
Yes, Noah sighed, life was good.
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TBC
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A/N: 'Baby, I'm Yours' was written by Van McCoy and sung by any number of beautiful singers over the years.
