Okay so this chapter is kinda short (but the next one will be longer I promise). Thank you for reading :)

Kurt and Blaine left the ice skating rink a little after eleven when Blaine remembered that Kurt had promised him ice cream and that all of the ice cream places would be closing soon. By the time they left, the running tally of how many times Blaine had fallen while skating came to thirteen. It did spark an interest in Blaine to go start practicing more often, maybe even with Kurt if they agreed to see each other again (which Blaine hoped they would).

After getting ice cream cones at a nearby vender, the boys walked for a while and enjoyed the nighttime air. Soon they found a place to rest on the edge of the Bethesda Fountain, sitting side by side and feeling the cool breeze from the water. The park was beautiful at night and Blaine wished he had come more often.

"I definitely did not see you being the Pistachio kind of guy," Kurt mused as he finished his cone of chocolate ice cream.

"I'm not everything that meets the eye," Blaine explained. "I have many hidden wonders." Blaine almost had to hold back from giggling at himself.

"Do you now?" Kurt mocked playfully.

"Mhm. Plenty." There were a few moments of awkward silence after Blaine started to blush when he realized they were flirting. Blaine hadn't dated many people since he started college, if at all. He went on a few dates here and there, but nothing ever worked out. Kurt felt different, although it was impossible for him to explain why.

"I wonder if it's actually cloudy tonight or it's just the usual mix of light pollution and smog," Kurt pondered. Blaine internally thanked Kurt for breaking the silence.

"Well it's supposed to rain tomorrow so it's probably cloudy…although I wouldn't totally throw away the smog theory."

Kurt's next question came out of nowhere and took Blaine completely off guard. "Why didn't you continue performing?"

Blaine almost choked. "W-what?" He coughed out, totally surprised by Kurt's question.

"Sorry I just…" Kurt looked down at his hands and bit his lip again. "I realized I knew you from somewhere when I first saw you but I couldn't place it. But then while you were skating you started singing to yourself and it came to me…" Kurt looked up right into Blaine's eyes. "You were the lead of the Warblers at Dalton Academy."

Blaine's mouth dropped slightly. "How did you…"

"We competed against each other twice. I went to McKinley."

Blaine wondered how Kurt could possibly remember something like that. Blaine thought back and remembered how they never went to Nationals because the New Directions kept beating them out at Regionals. "You guys were really good," Blaine finally said, not really knowing what he should say in a situation like this.

Kurt shrugged. "They never let me have a solo, which is probably the reason you can't remember me, but thank you. So you haven't answered my question. Why didn't you continue with music and performing?"

Blaine didn't know what to say. "I liked business better in the end. Singing and performing was just something I did to have fun, you can't make a career out of that."

"Now if that isn't the biggest lie I've ever heard." Blaine was taken off guard with the sudden change in Kurt's tone. It was firm, and Blaine felt like Kurt was going to start yelling at him at any second.

"I'm not lying," Blaine countered, his voice becoming defensive.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "There are three reasons I know you're lying. One: It's obvious you hate NYU, and it's obvious that you could care less about anyone there. Two: You're wearing your class ring you got from the Warblers, and I doubt you ever take it off because it looks like it could use a good polishing. Also when I mentioned the Warblers your eyes lit up brighter than New York on Christmas. And three: Your left eye twitches ever so slightly when you lie."

Blaine looked at him in awe and had to refrain from telling Kurt he was probably one of the strangest yet most interesting people he'd ever met. "My left eye twitches when I lie?" Blaine asked, as a small smile gracing his lips.

"It's hardly noticeable. Everyone has some sort of a tell when they're lying."

"So what's yours?"

Kurt crossed his arms and shook his head. "Not telling." Kurt cleared his throat and continued. "So the vibe I'm getting from this is that it has something to do with your parents?"

Blaine nodded and sighed. He loved his parents, he really did, but sometimes they weren't so understanding of his ambitions. "They would only pay for college in New York if I did something 'practical'. I needed to get away and I had no way to support myself, so I agreed. If I could go back I would probably do things differently, but it's been three years and life goes on."

When Kurt didn't say anything in response Blaine looked over to find that he was concentrating on a couple about fifteen feet away from them. The man looked to be in his late thirties while the woman looked no older than them. "What's wrong?" Blaine asked, wondering what about them caught his attention.

"Oh, sorry. That's really too bad, I think you would have been a wonderful performer. You should have tried for a scholarship or something." Kurt said quickly, pulling himself back into the conversation.

Blaine looked at Kurt curiously. "What do you see?"

Kurt shook his head. "Sorry sometimes I just can't stop my brain from…observing. It's annoying I know."

"No really, I want to know," Blaine persisted.

Kurt looked back over at the couple and tilted his head. "He's wearing a wedding ring and she isn't. The way she looks at him…they've been together for a few months now. This is probably the only time they can be together, right after he finishes work. His wife is probably at home waiting for him, although I feel like tonight he'll have some explaining to do, since there's lipstick on his shirt collar."

"Wow. Teach me?"

Kurt lifted an eyebrow. "Teach you to what?"

"That. To be able to look at people and just know."

"You just have to look and draw conclusions from what you see. Come on, try that man over there," Kurt said as he pointed to an older man sitting on a bench with his dog. "Tell me about him."

Blaine looked but didn't come up with much immediately. "He's an old guy walking his dog?"

Kurt laughed. "Yes. You have the most impeccable observation skills."

"Shut up," Blaine laughed as he pushed Kurt playfully.

"Is he married?"

Blaine squinted and noticed he wasn't wearing a wedding ring. "No. Okay so he's not married."

"How old does the dog look?"

"Well it's a golden retriever, and they're usually a lot bigger. So maybe it's a puppy?"

"Mhm. Why do you think an old man would have a puppy?"

Blaine looked closely at the man's face, and all he could see was sadness. There wasn't any light in his eyes, and Blaine remembered how when his grandpa died his mom got his grandma a dog so she'd have someone to spend time with.

"Oh no." Blaine could feel his eyes starting to water. "His wife died. And they were probably together a long time and it was probably recent." He didn't know whether or not he was right, but the look in his eyes, it was almost as if a piece of him was missing.

Kurt laid his hand over Blaine's and gave him a sympathetic smile. "They're just random people and random faces, but everyone has a story. Sometimes it doesn't take more than a look."

Blaine nodded slowly in agreement, although he felt as if he could look at Kurt for hours and never completely figure him out.

So I'm not sure how long the next update will take, so that's why I wanted to give this one to you guys sooner. I'm going to Disney on Saturday so hopefully I'll have time to write during my 12 hour car ride.