Sorry for the short chapter, especially after such a long wait, but typing on a smartphone is a bitch. My computer should be out of the shop soon though. And I forgot to mention this last time but the book I was referring to in the first chapter is I'll Be Seeing You by Lurlene McDaniel.
He's heard of love at first sight, hell, that's the only kind of love that really exists in Shakespeare, buy what about love at first sound? Okay, so he isn't in love with Kurt's roommate, not after one night. This is real life, not Shakespeare, still, he can't deny that he's attracted to her. After hours of completely ignoring Kurt and just talking over second and third helpings of lasagna, about music, and acting and England and New York and their childhoods, he still wants to know more, and for her to know more about him, and to sing with her again, and he has to admit it, he desperately wants to know what the girl with the beautiful voice looks like.
He's never been a shallow guy, at least not any more so than any other guy his age, granted the first thing he noticed about Santana was how exotically gorgeous she was, but he doubts she would have kept his attention for very long if she weren't also whip smart and funny, and some would say bitchy, but he supposes being in the closet for so long would have had that affect on her. Still, he never expected to be so immediately drawn to a girl he couldn't see, and the thought still mystifies him as he lays awake thinking about her and imagining her face. He thinks she must have big eyes, like a baby deer or a Disney princess, and a smile that lights up a room, and she's probably a tiny little thing too. As strong and commanding and clear as that voice of hers is, he can't help but think it sounds like it's coming from a smaller body. He just hopes she's not too tiny, he's a big guy, he wouldn't want to hurt her or anything... wait, hurt her doing what exactly? He thinks to himself.
He shakes off the thought, he's here to get better, that's it. His doctor said that there's a good chance he'll get his sight back at least partially, and there's really nothing he wants more than to be able to see again. He hasn't been blind for very long, but he can admit that it's frustrating, knocking into things, needing help with the simplest tasks, not being able to see all the beauty of New York, including Kurt's roommate, who sings like an angel and makes a mean lasagna and is so unbelievably sweet, but possessing an odd sort of forcefulness that wasn't unsexy. And as he finds himself thinking of her again he realizes that it must be at least two in the morning and he really needs to try to get some sleep. He closes his eyes then, noticing no difference from having them open, and finally lets sleep overtake him.
"Okay Finn, hold very still," Kurt says as he carefully drags the razor over his stepbrother's shaving gel covered face.
"Isn't this a little weird?" Finn says uneasily as Kurt rinses the razor in the sink.
"What's weird about it?" Kurt says nonchalantly. "Chin up please."
Finn obliges, allowing Kurt to tackle the stubble on the underside of his chin.
"I'm just saying, isn't this one of those things I should be learning to do for myself?" Finn persists.
"Finn, you couldn't even shave properly when you could see," Kurt replies.
"Well, at least you let me brush my own teeth," Finn jokes.
"Trust me, you're going to look great," Kurt says. "Besides, I'm sure Rachel would appreciate a nice clean shaven face." He continues slyly.
"Here we go," Finn sighs.
"Don't try to deny it, you're not that good of an actor," Kurt teases. "I saw you two together, I felt like the third wheel all night."
"I'm new, she was just being nice," Finn protests.
"Yeah, and you were just being nice right back, with the singing and the flirting and the 'oh my god I love Rock of Ages'" Kurt mocks. "And that's not even mentioning the feeling her up in the kitchen."
"That was an accident," Finn says sheepishly. A wonderful wonderful accident, he thinks silently.
"I'm just saying if you like her you should ask her out," Kurt says, finishing his task. "Just a head's up this is going to be warm." Kurt continues, pressing a towel to Finn's face
"I do like Rachel," Finn admits, his voice muffled by the towel. "I like her a lot, I mean, she's great but..."
"But what?" Kurt says coolly.
"I just had this accident and I'm in a whole new city and my whole life has basically been turned upside down, so excuse me if my number one priority isn't getting laid."
"First of all what kind of 26 year old man are you? Secondly, when did I say anything about getting laid?" Kurt says. "I'm talking about connecting with someone, making a friend, and who knows what will come later but just because you've been through some trauma doesn't mean you have to put your life on hold."
Finn places the towel down, hoping to place it on the counter but dropping it on the floor instead, and he can hear Kurt reach down to grab it.
"Just think about it okay," Kurt says, patting him on the shoulder and starting for the bathroom door.
"Hey Kurt," Finn calls after him.
"Yeah?"
"What does she look like?" Finn asks tentatively.
"And by that you mean 'is she hot' right?"
"Well, is she?" Finn asks a bit nervously, as if he's embarrassed to admit that it matters. "I mean I know you're gay but still..."
"Well her body is to die for," Kurt says after a bit of contemplation. "And she has amazing hair, I should know I cut and styled it myself, and her smile..."
"It lights up a room doesn't it?" Finn says dreamily.
"How did you know?" Kurt replies.
"I can hear it," Finn says sheepishly.
"You can hear her smile?" Kurt says skeptically.
"Yeah," Finn says warmly. "Is that weird?"
"No, it's actually kind of sweet," Kurt admits. "Anyway, Rachel is a beautiful girl, she just doesn't see herself that way."
"Why not?" Finn asks, knitting his brow.
"Maybe she just needs the right person to show her."
At that Kurt leaves, and Finn wonders what Kurt really means when he says she needs someone to show her, and for the tiniest of split seconds he wonders if that person could be him.
She's on the couch, he knows immediately when he sits down because he can smell her shampoo, it smells like apples and it makes him sigh a little. He also smells coffee and something involving cinnamon.
"Good morning Finn" She says sweetly. "I'm sitting next to you on the couch."
"Yeah," he says, chuckling a little, because she really is unbelievably cute. "I know."
"That's great, that's your heightened senses compensating for your vision loss," she says. "So, how did you sleep?"
"Really good actually," Finn says. "Did you cook breakfast?"
"Yes I did in fact, pumpkin french toast and fresh fruit."
"And the vegan nazi returns," Kurt quips, Fin doesn't know where the voice is coming from but it sounds like he's in the kitchen.
"For your information I also prepared chicken sausage, I don't expect everyone to conform to my lifestyle Kurt."
"Sure, you'll buy sausage for Finn but if I want a nice prosciutto and melon for breakfast I'm Satan.
"He's exaggerating," Rachel says over to Kurt.
"I actually am exaggerating, but what can I say, she's fun to screw with," Kurt admits. "Anyway, I'm off to work, are you two going to be okay here by yourselves?"
"We're not golden retrievers Kurt," Finn says, making Rachel giggle.
"Alright mr. Smart guy, see you when I get home," Kurt says before heading out the door.
He smiles over to her in silence, or at least he thinks he's smiling at her, and he hopes she's smiling back,
"So," she starts after a few moments. "Finn I know it's only your second day here and you're probably still hesitant about leaving the house, but I wanted to know if you would like to accompany me to the studio this afternoon."
"You mean where you record the show?" Finn says.
"Of course I could always reschedule-"
"No, I'd love to go with you," He says, maybe a bit too excitedly. "You know, if I won't be in he way."
"Don't be silly, we'd be happy to have you, and perhaps before we can have lunch, there's this great little pizzeria near central park, they're the only place in New York that uses quality vegan cheese, but I hear their animal byproduct based cuisine is quite excellent as well."
"Okay, sure that sounds great," Finn says, and he silently wonders if she just asked him out.
STAY TUNED FOLKS!