"Hi, um, Kurt Hummel. Nice to meet you," Kurt said quietly.
They stared at each other for another moment before Burt broke the silence.
"So, Blaine, is your family here with you?" he asked.
"No, sir, it's just me here for the happy event," Blaine said politely, stealing small glances at Kurt.
"Would you like to come back to our house for lunch? Carole is making a big meatloaf," Burt offered.
Blaine grinned and Kurt fought back a gasp. The man was gorgeous and now with his eyes lit up, he was simply breathtaking.
"I love meatloaf, that would be great," Blaine replied.
"Alright, sounds good. Let's get going then. Did you drive?" Burt asked.
Kurt was sure he should be doing the talking, but couldn't seem to find any words.
"No, sir. My hotel is just down the street. I walked," Blaine said in his warm voice.
"Well, we have room. You can ride with us. Right, Kurt," Burt hinted.
"Uh, yeah. You can ride with us," Kurt said. His nerves made his voice more high pitched than normal and he blushed in embarrassment.
"Sounds good," Blaine said, smiling at Kurt.
. . . . . . .
Blaine knew his prayers had been answered. After doing everything in his power to find a husband on his own, he'd ended up here in Lima, Ohio, certain he'd be marrying a country bumpkin. Instead, he was now husband to this tall, angelic man who fascinated Blaine with his otherworldly looks. Kurt's lips were full and very soft, he remembered from their brief kiss. His skin was pure and fine like silk and colored beautifully when he blushed. He had an adorable up-turned nose that was spattered with pale freckles. Kurt had brown hair, perfectly done, though Blaine had a feeling it took a lot of product to get it to look that way. His husband's eyes transfixed him. Husband, he mused. He was a married man. Stealing another glance, he smiled when he caught Kurt's eyes. They were a beautiful ocean of color, blue and green or maybe gray. Surrounded by thick lashes, Blaine knew if he'd seen Kurt on the streets of California, he would've had to stop him and introduce himself. But now he was married to him. He had to admit, it made him less angry.
When the government twins had shown up with Kurt's information, he was furious to find out that he would be moving across the country to New York. After graduating high school, he'd left Ohio and never looked back. San Francisco was his home. It was where he had his loft and made his music, the city as his muse. It was where all of his friends and contacts were. He wasn't ready to get married. He was in the middle of writing for his next album. Maybe, though, just maybe, he wouldn't mind relocating his entire life.
"So, Kurt, you are a fashion designer?" Blaine asked politely.
"Yes," Kurt replied.
"Our Kurt is a big designer, Blaine. He designs for celebrities and politicians. He has those fashion shows and things like that," Burt bragged.
"He even designed the suit he's wearing," Carole added helpfully.
"Very impressive," Blaine said, watching the pink blush start on Kurt's cheeks and go down his neck and into his shirt. For some reason, he found that sexy and found his body reacting, wondering just how far down that blush went.
"Thank you," Kurt said. "And you have a CD out? You're a musician?"
"I do and I am," Blaine said. "I'm currently writing for my next album."
"What kind of music do you play," Kurt asked.
Blaine went into his love of old soulful music and upbeat, quirky songs. The conversation continued as they arrived at the Hummel home. Blaine met Finn and Quinn, his brother and sister-in-law, and Sam. All the time, his new husband stayed quiet except for small comments. His family kept looking at him funny and Blaine had a feeling Kurt was typically more talkative.
"So, Blaine, if you don't mind me asking. Where is your family?" Burt asked.
"Probably still in their house in Westerville. They disowned me as soon as I was old enough to leave the house," Blaine said casually.
Kurt turned to look at him, concern in his blue green eyes. "Why would they do that?"
Blaine gave him an ironic smile. "Because I wouldn't let them force me to marry a woman."
With a snort, Kurt laughed. "Instead, the government forced you to marry me."
Golden eyes met ocean eyes. "I think I ended up with the better deal," Blaine said quietly.
Kurt's eyes widened in shock. He went pink and looked down at his plate.
The conversation turned to politics and Burt's stand on the marriage laws as they finished the meal. Kurt helped clear the table and serve coffee. Blaine thanked them and told Carole it was the best meatloaf he'd ever had. Burt got the hint.
"Kurt, why don't you give Blaine a ride back to his hotel. I'm sure you two need to discuss things," Burt suggested gently.
Kurt looked at his father. "Yeah, um. Sure. Is that okay with you, Blaine?" he asked.
Blaine smiled. "It sounds like a good idea."
Blaine shook hands with the men and gave Carole a small hug. "It was really nice to meet you all. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."
Kurt led the way back out to the car and was surprised when Blaine went ahead of him and opened the driver side door for him.
Blushing hotly, Kurt muttered 'Thanks' and got in the car. He watched the man, his husband, his mind reminded him, walk around to the passenger side. Blaine was a gentleman, that was certain. He ignored the flutter in his chest. As he pulled out of the driveway, he could at least acknowledge to himself that he was happy to be married to Blaine instead of the number of assholes he could have been forced to marry. And those eyes…
The drive to the hotel was silent as was the elevator ride to the fifth floor where Blaine's room was. He let them into the room. Kurt stepped inside but stayed by the door, his eyes refusing to look at the queen size bed in the middle of the room.
"Are you always this quiet?" Blaine asked, going to the small refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of wine and two glasses.
"No, usually I'm the exact opposite," Kurt admitted, accepting a glass of wine from him.
"Ah, it's just the joy of our nuptials that has you tongue tied," Blaine teased, taking a sip from his own glass.
Kurt smiled. "Guilty."
"You have a lovely smile," Blaine said suddenly.
Kurt's eyes jerked to his, color suffusing his cheeks. He walked to the small dinette set and sat down in a chair, taking a long drink of the wine.
"So," Blaine began, sitting across from him. "New York, huh? How long have you lived there?"
"Since I graduated from high school. I moved there to attend Parsons and never left," Kurt shared.
"That was the same with me, only I chose the opposite coast. If we're both twenty five and lived around here, how do we not recognize each other? What school did you go to?" Blaine asked, tracing his finger around the lip of his glass.
"McKinley. You?"
"I went to Dalton Academy," Blaine said. "I've heard of McKinley. That's the public school here in Lima, right?"
"Right. Dalton? I attended Dalton for a semester my junior year," Kurt said, perking up. "I don't remember you. Were you in the Warblers?"
"I was in the Warblers. That's truly ironic. My junior year is the year my parents sent me to France. Trying to spoil the gay out of me by sending me abroad, and all that," Blaine chuckled. "How funny that we literally just missed meeting each other. So you probably knew Wes and David?"
Kurt gave a genuine smile for the first time. "I did. Trent, Nick, Jeff, all of those guys."
Blaine grinned in return. "Did you have a Warbler of your own?"
Nodding, Kurt's smile faded a little. "Yes, Pavarotti. He died, unfortunately."
Blaine's eyes went wide. "You were the one who made the bejeweled grave stone for Pav?"
"I am," Kurt said with a light blush. "I couldn't bury the poor guy without some sort of marking."
"That also means you are a counter tenor. I heard about you. Sebastian Smythe hated you for your voice," Blaine said, leaning forward.
"The hatred was mutual. There was definitely no love lost between Sebastian and I much less between Sebastian and the New Directions, the McKinley glee club," Kurt said, his smile disappearing. "He loved to torment us."
"Well, he ended up being kicked off the Warblers for trying to talk members into taking performance enhancers. I think he ended up being kicked out of Dalton eventually," Blaine said.
"Good," Kurt murmured, finishing his wine. "Are you angry that you have to move to New York?"
"Yeah, to be honest, I am. Just as I'm sure you would have been in the reverse situation," Blaine said and saw Kurt's nod. "But the good thing is that I can write music anywhere and I'll be able to record in New York as easily as California."
"That's good. I am sorry you have to move. There is plenty of room for you in my condo, though. You can have several rooms of your own, if you'd like. I will do whatever I can to make sure you have what you need and want," Kurt said sincerely. His stomach dropped at the beautiful smile Blaine gave him.
"I really appreciate it. Maybe I'll be able to find some inspiration in the Big Apple after all," Blaine said.
They talked some more about Blaine's packing and travel needs. He would be ready to move into Kurt's condo by the end of the following week. They exchanged phone numbers and email addresses to keep in touch over the time until the move.
Finally, Kurt stood, ready to leave. Blaine was flying out on a red-eye flight and needed to get some sleep.
"Thank you for helping make this easier," Kurt said honestly.
"You're welcome and thank you for the same. I think we both could have ended up in much worse situations," Blaine agreed, walking him to the door. Opening the door, he watched Kurt walk through. "Wait," he said.
Kurt turned and found himself face-to-face with his husband whose eyes were glowing golden.
"I just have to see something before you go," Blaine said quietly. Moving slowly, he put his hand on Kurt's silken cheek and leaned forward. Their lips met and heat exploded. Blaine moved his mouth slowly over Kurt's, familiarizing himself with the feel of his husbands soft lips. He suddenly wanted to do much more but didn't want to freak the shy man out. Stepping back, he saw Kurt's eyes slowly open, his cheeks warm, his lips slightly parted, blue eyes bright. "I was right," Blaine said roughly. "I'll see you soon, Kurt."
Kurt was driving home, trailing his fingertips over his lips when he realized he hadn't even said goodbye.