So you coming over tomorrow or are you scared for your record? Cause Rutherford….you will not defeat me this time. That was a one off.
Kurt reviewed his wall post to Matt's Facebook page for what felt like the millionth time. This was why he ended up on this site for hours on end. Unlike some people, he couldn't just type something and hit send. He had to make sure it was perfectly spelled, punctuated and there was no way someone could take what he said in the wrong manner. It was exhausting to tell the truth but he just couldn't help himself.
He sat on the floor of Sam's living room, his laptop perched on the coffee table. Officially he was there to work on homework and help Sam with his history project since he had passed Mr. Kendrick's course last year with ease. Of course that translated to they had spent maybe ten minutes actually working on homework, the same ten minutes Sam's parents happened to be home as it turned out, and had spent the last hour and a half alternately making out and just goofing off.
This had to be what if felt like to be a normal, ok slightly normal he amended, teenager with friends and a love life.
Currently Sam was on the phone talking to an aunt, so Kurt had taken advantage of the opportunity to try to pin Matt down to their next day of what Matt had dubbed "Movie War". It was something he would have done at school or even after glee but somehow he had managed to just miss Matt all week. One of them had to stay behind to talk with the teacher in each of the three classes they had. It had seemed like Matt was trying to lag behind after glee to talk to him, but then Sam had showed up and Matt left with Mike before he had a chance to talk to him.
It was a little strange to think he actually missed talking to Matt. Definitely strange considering probably most of the school thought Matt was mute. But even stranger considering before three weeks ago, they had barely said anything beyond "hi" in passing. But there it was. He was missing Matt's sense of humor and the jokes muttered under his breath that only those standing closest to him could ever hear. It was starting to make sense why Mike and Matt had been glued at the hip all these years. There was just something very present about Matt that made a person feel good about being near him. Which Kurt recognized made absolutely no sense until you actually spent time with him and got to know him.
Matt's disappearing act was off-putting because Kurt was convinced that just wasn't who Matt was. Matt had chosen glee over football when the entire club had expected him to go the other way. Once Matt committed to something, he was there. Kurt could literally not remember a time when Matt's name wasn't closely followed by Mike's. So the fact they had literally not talked since the swim meet was more than a little distressing. He had known Matt had to be bored and felt like a third wheel, not matter how many times the other boy had protested the opposite. He had been in that position too many times with Artie and Tina to believe that lie. When he had spotted Santana and Brittany he had tried to call them over, if just to make it better for Matt if not the constant bitch fest that was Santana versus the waiters, but they had refused to come over; preferring to spend time flirting with the convention of drunken hormones on the other side of the diner.
"You keep frowning like that and you'll get wrinkles. " Sam joked as he came back into the room. "What? Did Finn and Puck forget to mark their drunken pictures private again?"
"No. Just trying to catch Matt. He's been uncharacteristically incommunicado all week." Kurt shook his head.
"And that's a new thing?" Sam asked sprawling over the sofa behind him. "I think I can count on my hand the number of times I've actually heard him speak. "
"He's shy." Kurt defended automatically. "And you didn't seem to have any problems talking at Gino's the other night."
"Yeah well that…that was different." Sam's voice shifted into an uncharacteristic mumble as he nudged Kurt's back with his knee.
"Different?" Kurt turned to see Sam trying to look off towards the TV, which was currently off. "How was that different?"
"You know like you said….it was one on one. For the most part. You saw how he clammed up when you came back from harassing that waitress. "
"Helping her get with the current times." Kurt corrected holding up his hand. "And while I'm well aware of how Matt prefers one on one to a group situation, why do I get the feeling that's not what you were referring to? What exactly were you talking about?"
"The meatheads at the next table over." Sam answered quickly. "We were debating the odds on if they were drunk enough to do something stupid."
"That would be what they chose to wear for most of them." Kurt huffed. "They didn't need alcohol for that. And if that's all you talked about then why did Matt look like he was trying to make a run for the fire escape?"
"He was a third wheel." Sam pointed out. "And I know you swear he's completely fine with you, it's another story to actually sit in on a date with the two of us. Maybe he really was just uncomfortable with the whole situation and was trapped without a ride."
Kurt could understand the third wheel argument. Lord knows he had felt that way often enough with Tina and Artie. He just didn't buy Sam's assertion Matt was uncomfortable because he was the third wheel with two guys. There wasn't anything solid or verifiable, just a gut level feeling it had nothing to do with his sexuality. It was something else, and he would bet money it was whatever Sam was obviously not telling him.
Pressing the situation would just lead to an endless argument with Sam. He was probably the only person, outside of Mercedes and his dad, who could out-stubborn him on issues. Once Sam made up his mind, his mother had told him a few days ago, only an act of God could get him to change his mind.
It seemed the best way to handle this impasse was just turn back to the computer and let Sam think he had won. At least for now. Sooner or later Matt would surface. And the next time it was just to two of them, he could ask Matt what was going on. He smiled as he saw Matt had already responded to his wall posting.
Sorry. Entire family got sick this week. Crazy busy. Can't make it to your place but you're welcome over here. If you feel brave enough…..after all they are more likely to side with me over you. My superior taste is a family thing you understand.
Look at that, Kurt mused impressed. Big football star Matt Rutherford posting with correct spelling and punctuation. Glancing through the rest of posts on his wall, it seemed to be a theme with Matt. While Puck, Finn and to a lesser extent Matt used common internet abbreviation and seemed to think run on sentences were the best way to communicate. Matt actually seemed to think about what he was going to send and at least read it before hitting the send button.
The more he got to know about Matt, the more it was clear he was different in so many ways from the jock crowd he had always been lumped into. Matt's shyness seemed to have caused him to just drift into the jock group because he at least knew people there. Now that he thought about it, Kurt couldn't recall anyone Matt hung out that wasn't on the football team or in glee. Not that he was any better in that department but of the two of them, Matt would be in the best position to have a wider social circle.
Kurt's fingers flew across the keyboard, a smile across his face.
You don't scare me Rutherford. I'll come prepared. Your house tomorrow.