The next few days went by fast and before he knew it, Blaine was waking up Wednesday morning and preparing himself for the day. Today, he is supposed to go with Kurt and the girls to Kurt's final tuxedo fitting for his wedding to Glen this Saturday. Ordinarily, spending time with Kurt and catching up with friends he hadn't seen in years would be fantastic, but the occasion bringing them all together was not one he would have chosen. Tuesday afternoon, Kurt had come into the coffee shop briefly and gave Blaine the plan for today. He would meet Blaine at his apartment around two o'clock and he and Kurt would meet the girls at the shop where the fitting is taking place. Luckily, Elise gave Blaine the day off, even though she gave him a yet another warning about keeping his feelings in check.

Blaine spent all morning readying himself, spending more time getting ready for this day than he had for the double date. He needed to look especially good because he needed to impress more than just Kurt today. Though he knew his old friends wouldn't judge him based on his appearance, he felt the need to look good to impress them; he needed to feel like the old, confident Blaine. He stood in front of his closet for long stretches of time, scattering his room with different garments. Now was one of those times he wished he had shopped more instead of just buying the same shirts in different colors. He threw clothes all over his bed, at a loss of what to wear. Twice he seriously considered the blue button up shirt he wore Saturday night but he couldn't bring himself to wear it again so soon.

Dear God, Kurt is rubbing off on me, he thought to himself as he tossed the blue shirt aside again. He smiled to himself and shook his head because it was true, until Kurt came back into his life, he didn't give a damn about what he wore. Now he was back to his old self, thoroughly contemplating his outfit choices before making a final decision. He glanced at all the different options scattered over his bed, hanging in his closet, and draped over his dresser. Clothes were literally all over his room, and he still had no idea what he wanted to wear. Should he go for something simple or more dressy? He just could not make up his mind.

He paced his room, circling all of his options like a hawk, waiting for some sort of inspiration to hit him. He glanced at his slim collection of cardigan sweaters he had ruled out earlier and decided to reconsider them. He only had three of them, and he couldn't remember the last time he had worn one. He glanced between the three, deciding on which one to choose. Eventually he settled on a navy blue button down cardigan sweater. Satisfied, he rummaged through his collection of shirts, trying to decide which style and color he wanted to wear with the sweater. He cast shirts aside left and right until he stumbled upon a white button down shirt with a blue plaid pattern on it. He held the shirts together and smiled to himself.

"Perfect," he crowed. He swooped through the room and cleaned up the remainder of his clothes, carefully putting them away in their proper place. Once the room was tidy, he walked over to his closet and picked out a pair of khaki pants to wear with his cardigan ensemble. He laid the outfit out on his bed, complete with complimentary socks and shoes and smiled at his choice, pleased with the outcome of his frantic outfit search. He glanced at the clock and noted he still had two hours before Kurt was due to arrive, so he hurried into his bathroom and showered. He shaved his face and brushed his teeth and lightly gelled his hair to perfection, keeping his curls in line but not plastering them to his scalp. Satisfied with his appearance, he dressed himself and studied his reflection and smiled at his choice.

He glanced at the clock once again, hyper aware of the time and it read one-thirty. Blaine silently patted himself on the back for his timing, having just about thirty minutes until Kurt arrived. He paced about his apartment, anxiety making it impossible for him to sit still. After a while, he decided to eat a quick lunch. He made himself a sandwich and watched the clock slowly tick down as he ate.

He couldn't decide what part he was most anxious about; being around Kurt, seeing old friends, or the tuxedo fitting. At the moment, it was pretty much even. What was he going to say to the girls about living in Lima? Should he be ashamed? Probably not, but he felt like it was a failure in his life that he would rather keep to himself. They are sure to ask about what he did after high school. Blaine hoped they wouldn't press, and if Rachel is as high-strung as she used to be, he was sure if he could just get her talking about her career, she wouldn't stop.

He finished his lunch and stared at the clock ticking down to two o'clock. He watched the second hand beat out an even tick in time with his pulse. He only had five minutes left. He watched the minute hand slowly wind down until two, completely focused on the little metal hand. There was a sharp knock at the door and Blaine jumped, too engrossed in the clock that the foreign sound made his heart race faster. He placed his hand over his heart and walked over to the door. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

The initial smile he wore on his lips went from an excited grin to a wavering tight-lipped smile in less than a second. Instead of Kurt standing at the door, it was Nathanial. Blaine recovered quickly, plastering on another big smile.

"Hey!" he greeted his boyfriend, "what are you doing here?"

Nate smiled in return, "I could ask you the same question." A confused look passed over Blaine's face. "I went by the coffee shop today and you weren't there. I couldn't see Elise so I got concerned that you weren't feeling well."

Blaine felt his neck grow hot. Shit, I forgot to tell him. "Yeah, sorry. I uh… took the day off."

Nate smiled a tight smile, "needed a mental health day?"

"N-No," Blaine stuttered scratching the back of his neck nervously, "I made plans."

"Oh," Nate replied, looking dejected, "what kind of plans?" he asked nonchalantly.

Blaine shifted awkwardly from foot to foot in the doorway of his apartment, "Kurt—"

"Hi Nathanial!" came a chipper voice from the hallway. Nate turned to his left and smiled at the source of the voice; Blaine knew who it was before the figure stepped into the view of his door frame. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Kurt commented coming to a stop next to Nate in the hallway.

"Not much," Blaine replied.

"Do you two have plans?" Nate asked, motioning between Kurt and Blaine.

Kurt nodded excitedly, rocking back on his heels, "oh yes! Some old friends of ours from high school flew in yesterday for the wedding and we are meeting them to go to my last tuxedo fitting and to go out for dinner."

Nate grinned, "that sounds like a fantastic afternoon," he replied politely.

"You are more than welcome to join us," Kurt offered glancing at Blaine who nodded reluctantly.

"Oh no, I couldn't intrude," Nate asserted, "I would feel horrendously out of place among you and your old friends."

"I think you would fit in quite well," Kurt replied with a smile.

"Will Glen be there?" Blaine couldn't help but ask.

Kurt looked at Blaine as if he had just asked if the sky was green, his eyes taking on that classic "Kurt" look, sarcasm without words. "Of course not," he practically spat, "you are never supposed to let the groom see his partner in the wedding wardrobe until the day of the wedding, it's bad luck."

"Right," Blaine muttered.

"So are you coming with us?" Kurt turned to Nate again.

"No, I think I'll have to graciously bow out of this invitation, I have to get back to work. Have fun," Nate replied. "It was nice seeing you Kurt," Nate said shaking hands with him.

"Good seeing you too, Nathanial."

"See you tomorrow?" Nate asked Blaine who nodded in reply. He smiled and leaned in, placing a gentle peck on Blaine's lips. "Bye, baby."

"See you tomorrow."

"I love you."

Blaine smiled in reply and watched as Nate retreated down the hallway of his apartment.

Once he was out of sight, Kurt turned back to Blaine with a tight smile on his lips, "you two are so damn cute."

Blaine laughed once, "thanks. Shall we get going? If Rachel is anything like she used to be, I'm sure she would hate to be kept waiting."

"She is still the same Rachel, and yes we should," Kurt replied with a smirk.

Blaine snatched his wallet and his apartment keys off his counter and followed Kurt back into the hallway, locking the door on his way out. They strode side by side down the hallway and left Blaine's apartment, hailing a taxi on the curb in front of the brick building.

"So," Blaine began once they were settled in the taxi, "what's been going on with the girls? Are they still the same motley bunch from back in the day?"

"Oh yes," Kurt giggled, "some of them haven't changed a bit."

"Who are we meeting today?"

"All the girls that flew in for the wedding. Rachel, Mercedes, Tina, Santana, and Lauren," Kurt replied, ticking of their names on his fingers.

"And they haven't changed much?"

Kurt gave Blaine a knowing smile, "I'll let you be the judge of that, but I think they are almost exactly the same as always, just more mature."

Blaine nodded, "I never actually asked where we are going."

"It's one of the best bridal shops in the city."

"Bridal? You're not wearing a dress are you, Kurt?" Blaine teased.

"No!" Kurt squeaked, playfully smacking Blaine's arm, "they have a men's department."

Blaine rubbed his arm and shook his head, "what color is the suit?"

Kurt gave a smug smile and crossed his arms delicately, "you'll have to wait and see."

"Oh, the suspense is killing me," Blaine wailed melodramatically.

Kurt rolled his blue eyes, "you were always one for theatrics."

"You're one to talk! You wore a kilt to prom!"

"And I looked fantastic."

"Yes you did," Blaine conceded.

Kurt gave a nod, having proven his point, "you certainly weren't complaining."

"As I recall I did at one point. But only out of concern for your safety, of course"

"Touché," Kurt replied with a nod. "I was tempted to wear one today, but decided last minute to change."

Blaine glanced at Kurt's outfit, trying not to let his eyes linger too long. Kurt wore a military-style deep green jacket with canted patches and brass buttons adorning it. Paired with jacket was a white collared shirt, tight blue jeans, and black knee-high boots. "Kilt or no, you look great."

"I try," Kurt replied with a grin, "I can say the same for you. My presence has obviously cured you of your fashion quandaries."

Blaine grinned, "it must have been that fashion show you took me to. It made me rediscover my love of leopard print evening gowns."

Kurt giggled, covering his mouth with one of his delicate hands, "well regardless of your inspiration, I'm glad I was able to help."

"Thank you, fashion fairy godmother," Blaine snickered and Kurt rolled his eyes once more.

"You are more than welcome," he replied as the cab came to a sudden stop, "looks like we're here."

The men stepped out of the cab and Kurt paid the cabbie his fare. They crossed the street and approached a lavish storefront with extravagant wedding dresses and a few tuxedo clad mannequins behind the display glass. Blaine opened the door and held it for Kurt who smiled graciously and strutted into the store. They strode over to the front desk where a short blonde woman was whispering to herself and sifting through a stack of paperwork.

"Hello," Kurt greeted the woman, "I have an appointment for a tuxedo fitting."

"Name?" she asked dragging her fingers quickly over the keys of her computer.

"Hummel."

She typed the name into the computer and quickly scrolled down, scanning the list of names. "Kurt?" she asked.

"That's me," he replied with a smile.

"Take the door to the left and head down the stairs, I think there is one appointment before you so you are welcome to wait in the waiting room. I believe your party is already waiting for you in there."

"Thank you," Kurt replied and he and Blaine headed for the stairs. The place was lavishly decorated, obviously a very expensive store. The stairs were carpeted with a plush, white carpet that deadened the sounds of their foot fall. Once they reached the bottom, they rounded the corner and found a row of chairs, filled with five chatting women. When the door opened and the two men came through, they all looked up in unison, huge grins spreading across their faces like a cascade of dominos.