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“Look, I know you’re lonely, but… you’re not alone.”
With those words, Kurt slammed his locker shut, sighed, and stormed past Rachel. Screw her pity; he didn’t need anyone to feel sorry for him. He had been fine on his own, always had been. No one in Glee understood him; they didn’t know what he had to go through every day. Sure, they got slushied and occasionally teased, but it wasn’t personal with them. They were bullied for being in Glee, something they could change. But Kurt couldn’t control being gay.
No one understood him, and he doubted anyone ever would.
He was walking down the hall, still annoyed from his conversation with Rachel, when Karofsky and Azimio appeared. Kurt froze and prepared himself for the inevitable attack. Karofsky grinned and pushed Kurt into the lockers with every ounce of strength he had. Kurt hit the lockers, some of the doors opening from the impact, and held back the tears. It hurt a lot; no matter how many times a day he went through this, he never got used to the pain.
“Loser,” Karofksy spat at him before continuing down the hall. Kurt couldn’t help but sigh a little in relief; that was one of the nicer insults.
“I hope you didn’t use up all your brain cells coming up with that,” Kurt snapped. He saw Karofsky glare at him so he sped down the hallway, hoping to survive the rest of the school day.
He was at his locker again, putting his books away before going home, when Rachel approached him.
“Hi, Kurt,” she said, hesitating before putting a hand on his arm. “We didn’t get to finish our conversation from earlier.” Kurt sighed softly but didn’t send her away, so she continued. “I was wondering if maybe you would want to sing with me? I have a great song selection.”
“The duet competition is over,” he muttered.
“Well, this could be just for you and me.”
Kurt smiled a little at that. “Okay.”
Rachel was about to embrace him when Karofksy, who was walking by, threw a slushy in Kurt’s face.
“What the hell?” Kurt exclaimed, trying to wipe the slushy from his eyes.
“That’s for your comment earlier, fairy,” Karofsky scoffed. He pushed Kurt so he hit his head on the door of his locker.
“Leave him alone,” Rachel said, but her voice was so weak that Karofsky just laughed before walking away. She turned to Kurt. “Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay?”
“Let’s go to the bathroom and-”
“No.” Kurt closed his eyes. “I’m going home.”
“But-”
Kurt gave her a look that told her to stop talking. He closed his locker and made his way to the exit, wiping the rest of the slushy off as he walked. Thankfully, it was raining outside, which meant he had a good excuse for why his clothes were wet when his dad saw him.
He drove home, trying to hold back the tears. Why was Karofsky only targeting him? Surely he could have at least tried to cover both Kurt and Rachel with the slushy. Not that Kurt wanted that; he was relieved that at least one of them hadn’t been humiliated.
Kurt parked his car in their driveway then let himself into the house. Burt and Carole were sitting on the couch, obviously enjoying each other’s company given their proximity.
“Dad,” Kurt said. “Carole.”
Burt turned and smiled at his son. “Hey, kiddo. Rough out there, huh?” he said, noticing Kurt’s drenched outfit.
“Yeah. Pouring it down.”
“School okay?”
Kurt wanted to tell his father everything, but he knew he couldn’t put that kind of stress on Burt. “Yeah. School’s good. I’m going to go get a shower and take a nap.”
“Okay.”
Kurt went to his room, but he didn’t even have the energy to shower. He just changed into some comfortable, dry clothes and curled up in a ball, trying to fall asleep. Just as he was about to drift off, he was startled by the loud noise of Finn coming home. He wasn’t alone, either. Kurt quickly identified the other voices as Mike, Sam, and Artie. He tried to ignore the painful feeling in his chest as a result of not being included.
The trio came upstairs and went into Finn’s room. Due to the thin walls, Kurt could hear everything they were saying.
They spent a few minutes talking about video games, then Mike asked, “Hey, should we ask Kurt to join us?”
Kurt couldn’t help but smile. Even if he hated video games, it could be fun to be included for once.
Then Finn replied, “Nah, I asked him earlier. He said he’s got a ton of homework.”
Kurt tried to hold back the tears. Finn certainly hadn’t “asked him earlier.” In fact, they hadn’t talked all day. They had hardly talked since their conversation about Sam a few days before.
Kurt had never felt more alone.
Then, an idea came to him. If no one at McKinley understood him, he would find someone who did. Someone who didn’t know about his past, or the bullying, or his issues. Someone who would like him for him.
He picked up his phone, typed in a random number, and then called it. He quickly realised that there was no telling who would pick up; it could be anyone. But before he could hang up, a calming, sophisticated voice said, “Hello?”
“H- Hi,” Kurt croaked out.
There was silence on the other end for a few minutes; Kurt assumed that the person was trying to figure out if they knew who Kurt was. Eventually, they said, “Who is this?”
“I….” Kurt trailed off, “I don’t know.”
“Are you okay? Do you need me to call someone?”
“No. I’m okay.”
“Well, in that case, I think that I should tell you that you have the wrong number.”
Kurt bit his lip. It felt so good to be able to talk to someone new, but of course, it couldn’t last. “I know.”
“Really? So, why did you call me then?”
“I just… needed someone to talk to.”
More silence. Kurt was scared that he had scared them away, but then they said, “Who are you?”
“I’m nobody.” Kurt laughed bitterly. “Literally.”
“I doubt that. What’s your name?”
“I don’t have one.” He didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with a stranger.
“Okay. I’m Wes, it’s nice to meet you.”
Kurt smiled. “You, too, Wes is a nice name.”
“Thanks. So, why do you need someone to talk to? Is everything okay?”
Kurt prayed for his voice not to crack when he said, “No.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s stupid.”
“I highly doubt that.”
Kurt sighed. “I’m the only out gay kid at my school and… It’s so hard. I get bullied every day. And it isn’t just teasing, it’s physical. They shove me into lockers, throw me into dumpsters, throw slushies at me.”
“Slushies?” Wes sounded amused.
“Don’t ask.”
“I understand that that’s really hard for you. Have you considered talking to any of your teachers, or transferring?”
“My teachers don’t care. They watch Karofsky- my bully- do it. And as for transferring… that sounds expensive. My family just bought a new house, we’re kind of broke.”
“I’m sorry. Do you have any other options?”
“No, I just… I feel so alone.” Kurt wiped his tears away. “Nobody understands me.”
“Hey,” Wes said gently, “it’s okay. I promise you aren’t alone. I understand you; I’m not out at my school, either.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I mean, my school has a zero-tolerance harassment policy, but I still don’t feel comfortable with everyone knowing. You’re the first person I’ve told.”
“Well, who’s better than a stranger who randomly called you?” Kurt chuckled. “So, you are, uh…”
“Bisexual.”
“Oh.” Kurt couldn’t help but smile a little. This guy was into guys and still in some form of education, plus, he sounded young. Maybe he could be more than a friend to Kurt. No, Kurt thought, he’s a stranger. I don’t even know where he lives. “That’s cool. So, uh, how old are you?”
“17. You?”
“Same, though I’m a Junior.”
“Senior.”
“I figured.” Kurt was going to say more, but there was a knock at his door. Finn let himself in.
“Dude, are you okay?” Finn asked, noticing the tear tracks on Kurt’s face.
“I’m fine.”
“Who are you talking to?”
Kurt hesitated. “I’ll talk to you later,” he said to Wes, unsure if he even meant the words, or if Wes would even want that. He heard a small “Bye” from Wes then hung up. He glared at Finn. “Why do you care?”
Finn frowned. “Did I do something?”
Kurt considered spiling that he had heard his conversation with Mike, Artie, and Sam. He knew it would make things more awkward between them, but he was past caring. “You didn’t ask me to hang out.”
“So?”
“You told Mike you did and that I didn’t want to. What? Do you really not want to hang out with me that badly?”
Finn flinched. “Dude, I just didn’t think you’d be interested.”
“Isn’t that my choice to make?”
“It’s just kind of a guy’s thing, you know?”
Kurt drew in a sharp breath. It felt like the conversation with his dad from the year before. “What? Am I not a guy?”
“Of course you are, dude,” Finn said, sighing. “I just… You get it, right?”
“No. I don’t.”
“I just… you don’t like video games and stuff and…”
“And I like company. Do you know how alone I’ve felt these past few weeks? How miserable I’ve been? It just would have been nice to forget about all of that for a while.”
“I’m sorry, dude. You can come and join us now if you want.”
“Please,” Kurt spat, “I wouldn’t want to ruin your guys’ guy thing.”
Finn gave him one last look before leaving Kurt’s room.
Before taking a nap, Kurt saved Wes’ number in his phone just in case he needed the stranger again.
Kurt went the next few days without talking to Wes. He was horrified at what he had done; it was so dangerous to call a stranger. Besides, he didn’t want to bother anyone with his problems. He was walking through the hallway, heading to his locker, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and was about to check the message, but Karofsky came out of nowhere and pushed Kurt into the wall of lockers, making Kurt drop his phone onto the floor.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t you have anything better to do?!” Kurt snapped, reaching out to pick up his phone. Karofsky simply continued walking down the hall, as if Kurt wasn't even worth a response anymore. Kurt let out a frustrated grunt and checked his phone.
Wes: This is crazy. I can’t stop thinking about you
Wes: I’ve tried to move on, but I just need to know if you’re okay and if things have gotten better. I hope they have
Kurt smiled a little; he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Wes either. He thought for a few minutes.
Kurt: Hi, good to hear from you. Things still suck. Unfortunate, but not surprising
As he waited for a reply, he picked himself up off the floor. He felt his phone vibrate but didn’t check it, making sure to pay attention to his surroundings to avoid being harassed by anyone else. When he was safely at his locker, he allowed himself to check his messages.
Wes: I’m sorry to hear that. Look on the bright side, one day you will be able to rub your success in everyone’s faces
Kurt grinned. He hadn’t even mentioned his dreams to be a star or told Wes about his talent, yet Wes still believed in him. He knew it was silly; Wes was probably only saying this to make Kurt smile, but it was still working. It was just nice knowing that there was someone out there that wanted him to smile.
Kurt: Thanks
Wes: Well, show choir practice won’t run itself. I’ll talk to you later. Keep smiling :)
Kurt let out a small gasp. Show choir practice? What were the odds? Could he run into Wes at competition soon? Would he recognise the other boy by his voice? That sounded so romantic; it was almost fate. But then another thought struck Kurt: what if this was all a joke? Maybe ‘Wes’ was someone at McKinley, and they were mocking Glee. Could he have accidentally called someone from the football team, and they recognised his voice or number? They could just be psyching him up, making him think someone cared about pathetic little Kurt Hummel, just to bring him down.
Kurt couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t talk to Wes anymore, not when he was already so attached. He didn’t have the heart to block Wes’ number, just in case Wes was actually Wes. But he couldn’t fall any more than he already had. He couldn’t be vulnerable.
Kurt flinched as someone put their arm around him. At first, he thought it was Karofsky- he had done the gesture many times in an attempt to make Kurt let his guard down just to make the assault that much more surprising. It wasn’t Karofsky; it was Finn.
“You left this morning before I could talk to you,” he said, squeezing Kurt’s shoulder.
“Maybe there’s a reason for that.” Kurt shrugged his arm off.
“Walk to Glee with me? I think we should talk.”
“Fine.”
“Why are you so mad at me?”
“Why do you think?” Kurt snapped. “You’re still treating me like an outsider. I joined Glee because I was told it was a place where I could be myself, where I could have friends. But I can’t make it through one lesson without either having a gay joke made or being told I’m not good enough because of my voice. And you, you are supposed to be my brother. You said you’d changed from last year, but I don’t see it.”
“I’m sorry, man. I just- Sam was there and I didn’t think he’d be comfortable if you joined us.”
Kurt’s face fell. Finn was still going on about the Sam thing. “Why? Because I wanted to sing a duet with him? A duet that he had agreed to, might I add? This is none of your business, Finn.”
“I’m sorry.”
Kurt glared at it and before walking away, he muttered, “Prove it, then.” He went to Glee by himself and sat down beside Rachel. He usually would have opted to sit next to Mercedes, but he was still feeling a little awkward after what had happened a few weeks prior with his dad.
Mr Shue ranted about them performing Rocky Horror Picture Show then let them leave. Kurt made his way home, making a point to ignore Finn as they walked up the driveway together.
“Dude,” Finn said, following Kurt as he went to his room, “I need to talk to you.”
“What?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to join me and Sam tonight. I was gonna go over to his place. He’s cool with you joining.”
Kurt thought it over. It sounded nice, not being alone, but then he remembered what Finn had said. It was a guys’ night. Would he just make it awkward?
“I really am sorry about what I did, Kurt,” he continued. “I’m trying to be better, but you have to meet me halfway. It’d be cool to have you with us.”
Kurt sighed. “I guess I can spare some time. What time are you going?”
“A few hours.”
That was just enough time to plan the perfect outfit. Kurt went into his bedroom and began to get changed. He didn’t care if Finn would judge him for it; he was happy, and that was all that mattered.
Kurt went with Finn to Sam’s house a couple of hours later. He, surprisingly, had a pretty good time. Sam was welcoming of him, not uncomfortable like Finn had said, and he was included in everything. He was in such a good mood when he got home that he smiled when he got a text from Wes. If it was someone from school, then let them mock him. He could take it. He wasn’t going to be afraid anymore. And even if there was just a small chance that this guy was a genuinely nice stranger, Kurt was willing to take what he could get.
Wes: Hey. How are you doing?
Instead of replying to the text, he called Wes instead.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
“I’m doing better, thanks. I don’t think I’m as alone anymore.”
“That’s great to hear.”
“What about you? You okay?”
“Yeah, just tired. Sometimes, show choir is more trouble than it’s worth.”
Show choir. Kurt frowned a little. “Show choir, huh?”
“Yeah. I know it’s stupid but, I really do like it.”
“Me too. Though, it really does make me more of a target.”
“Yeah, sometimes Ohio really isn’t the most welcoming place.”
“Ohio?” Kurt froze. Had he mentioned that he lived in Ohio, or was Wes talking about himself? That was too much of a coincidence. “I knew it,” he muttered.
“Knew what?”
“You go to my school, don’t you? Who are you? Are you on the football team? How long were you going to do this for?”
“Whoa, whoa. Slow down. I don’t know what you mean. From what I heard, I highly doubt we go to the same school. What brought this on?”
“Ohio. Show choir. That can’t just be chance.”
“Yes, I live in Ohio. I grew up here. And as for show choir… I don’t know what you mean, but have you heard of the Warblers?”
“No.”
“That’s my group. But I’m not messing with you, alright? You called me.”
“Warblers…” Kurt couldn’t recall the name from anywhere, but he decided to trust Wes. “I’m sorry. It’s just, I live in Ohio and I don’t think I mentioned it and… My Glee club has been the source of most of my bullying. I really thought you were leading me on. That maybe you were one of my bullies.”
“I would never bully anyone, I can assure you that. But I go to a private school. They wouldn’t tolerate bullying as your school does.”
“Right. I believe you.”
“Are you okay?”
“I think so. I’m really glad you are who you say you are, because I really like you.”
“I really like you too.” Kurt could hear Wes’ smile through the phone.
“Really?”
“Yes. I know we’ve only talked a few times, but I really care about you. Plus, you’re different than everyone else at my school.”
“Oh.” Kurt grinned. “You are, too. You’re sweet and nice and have an amazing voice.”
“I like your voice, too.”
“You don’t think it’s too girly or anything?”
“No. It’s unique.”
Kurt fell for Wes just a little more that night.
Kurt couldn’t resist. He knew it was probably crossing some sort of invisible line, but it wasn’t as if he was invading Wes’ privacy. The other boy had willingly told Kurt the name of his show choir club, and he must’ve considered the possibility of Kurt researching it. After scrolling past a dozen images of birds and some useless links, Kurt found it: the Dalton Academy Warblers.
Dalton Academy? Kurt thought. Is that the school Wes attends? He closed the tab. That was too far, he had to wait until Wes was comfortable.
He even felt a little bad; Wes didn’t even know his name. He took his phone out and texted Wes.
Kurt: My name is Kurt, by the way
Wes responded immediately.
Wes: Shame. I’d gotten used to calling you ‘?’
Wes: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kurt. That’s a great name
Kurt: Thank you
Kurt waited for a reply from Wes, but was instead greeted with a phone call.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Kurt. So, what made you share your name?”
Kurt smiled at Wes’ playful tone. “I just feel a lot more comfortable now.”
“I see. You mentioned you were in show choir a few days ago. What’s your group?”
Kurt hesitated. The New Directions weren’t as popular as the Warblers seemed to be. They hadn’t even made it to Nationals. Besides, maybe they could look out for each other at competition. “The New Directions.”
Kurt heard Wes chuckled. “Okay.”
“What?”
“Nothing, just…” Wes laughed again. “We may be seeing each other soon.”
“Oh, would you want that?”
“Maybe. If you’re comfortable.”
“That does sound nice.”
“We’ll see.”
Kurt couldn’t hold back his laughter as he reread the text that Wes had just sent him. Apparently, Wes was obsessed with his gavel, and had had a meltdown that morning because he had lost it.
Wes: You don’t understand, Gavel is very important to me
Kurt laughed again. “Oh my God,” he said.
Finn poked his head into Kurt’s room. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Just my friend.”
Finn looked confused, but luckily didn’t mention his surprise at Kurt having friends. “Who?”
“This boy called Wes.”
“Wes?”
“He doesn’t go to our school. He goes to Dalton Academy.”
“How did you meet him?”
Kurt bit his lip. He didn’t want Finn to know the truth; he was a little embarrassed about the situation. “Just, you know, around.”
Finn smiled. “Do you like him? You know, romantically.”
“I- I…” Kurt blushed. “He’s into guys.”
“That’s not answering the question.”
“Maybe... he’s not like anyone else I know. It could be something great.” If I actually knew him in real life, Kurt added in his head.
“Well, I hope things work out.”
“Thanks. I do, too.”
Mr Shue grunted. He had been trying to look for his sheet music for 10 minutes with no luck.
“I bet Sue took it,” he decided. He looked at the kids, his eyes settling on Kurt. “Kurt, can you go to her office and get it back, please? Be quick.”
Kurt sighed and left the choir room. Of course it had to be him. He was walking down the hallway when suddenly he was pushed into a locker. He knew it was Karofsky without having to check.
“What is wrong with you?!” Kurt snapped. “Do you not have any other move besides shoving me?”
Instead of ignoring him, Karofsky punched the locker beside Kurt’s face. “Watch it, or the next thing I punch will be you.”
“Yeah, right,” Kurt scoffed. “You wouldn’t dare. That’s too far; even for you.”
“What?”
Kurt, against his better judgement, decided to push Karofsky. “You’re too much of a coward to do it.”
“Shut up!”
“You’re just too scar-” Kurt was cut off by Karofsky’s fist connecting with his jaw. Kurt whimpered, instantly putting his hand over the burning skin. That would be hard to explain to his father.
“Well? Happy now?”
Kurt wasn’t. He didn’t actually think Karofsky would do it. He just shook his head and, thankfully, his bully walked away. Kurt finally let the tears fall and slid down the wall of lockers so he was sitting on the floor. He held his head in his hands and sobbed- not because of the pain, but because of the exhaustion. He was so sick of everything, he had nothing good in his life. “Wes,” he muttered to himself. He had to call Wes. He removed his hands from his face and took his phone out, calling the number.
“Kurt?”
“H- Hi.”
“Are you crying? What’s going on?”
“I’m tired. I’m tired of it all. It’s never going to stop, is it?”
“The bullying?”
“He punched me, Wes. In the face.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? What did I ever do to him?”
“Where are you?”
“At school.”
“Go home, put some ice on the injury. I promise everything will be okay.”
“Will it?”
“Yes. Do you trust me?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“I promise things will get better, just keep smiling, okay? Nobody can hurt you.”
“Okay,” Kurt whispered. He hung up, picked himself up off the floor, and went home.
His dad found out about the punch and tried to make Kurt move schools, but Kurt refused. There was only one school he wanted to go to, but he knew they couldn’t afford it. Dalton was far too expensive.
Kurt was laid on his bed, talking into the phone with Wes. It was almost 2:30 A.M., and their conversation had taken a strange turn. It had started with Wes telling Kurt all the reasons he was amazing, an attempt to cheer his friend up. Then, Kurt had returned the favour, by letting Wes know how sweet and supportive he was. An hour later, the two of them were deep in the rabbit hole of compliments.
“You know what I like about you?” Kurt murmured into the phone, trying to keep his eyes open.
“What?”
“Your voice. It is so soothing, I could fall asleep listening to it.”
Wes chuckled. “If we keep this up, you just might.”
Kurt sighed happily. “It’d be nice.”
“You know what I like about you?”
“Do tell.”
“The fact that I can hear your smile. I love the way you sound when you’re happy, and your laugh is so nice to hear. I could listen to it for hours.”
“My smile? You’ve never seen my smile, though.”
“I can imagine how beautiful it is.”
“There’s nothing beautiful about me,” Kurt murmured into the phone.
“That's not true.”
“You don’t know what I look like.”
“I want to,” Wes said.
“Why?”
“It’d be a pretty good brag to say that I know what an angel looks like.”
Kurt smiled. “How did I find someone as great as you?”
“You called me.”
“Best decision I’ve ever made.”
“My best one was picking up.”
Luck was finally on Kurt’s side. They were doing another boys vs girls in Glee, which meant Kurt was stuck with the small-minded guys. His heart had almost jumped out of his chest when Mr Shue had mentioned the Warblers, so, if he played his cards right, he knew that the guys would send him to spy on them and he would have an excuse to see Wes. He presented ideas that he knew were too out-there even for him, and eventually, Puck sent him on his way.
He walked down the Dalton staircase, searching the crowd for anyone that fitted Wes’ description that he had created in his head. He finally caught sight of someone who seemed friendly.
“Excuse me,” he called out to them. “Um, hi. Can I ask you a question? I’m new here.”
The guy stuck his hand out. “My name’s Blaine.”
It wasn’t him. “Kurt. So, what exactly is going on?”
“The Warblers. Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. It tends to…”
Kurt tuned Blaine out. He couldn’t stop thinking about how he was so close to Wes. If he could just see their performance… “Can you take me there?”
Blaine grinned and reached for Kurt’s hand. “Come on. I know a shortcut.”
“No, thanks,” Kurt said, pulling his hand back. “Let’s just go.”
They got there just as it was starting. Kurt’s eyes darted around the room, but he couldn’t identify anyone who seemed like Wes. He was about to ask Blaine if he knew anything about Wes, when the Warbler went to the front of the group. He was their lead singer.
He couldn’t even concentrate on the performance because he was too focused on finding Wes. He had always imagined Wes to be a graceful dancer, someone who took great pride in what they did and was always cautious. He examined the moves of the Warblers, but they were all too fast for him to notice anything in particular. It was hopeless.
When the performance was over, Blaine came back over to Kurt. “Hey, I think we should talk in private,” he said.
“Why?”
“You’re from the New Directions, right?”
Kurt hung his head. Luck definitely wasn’t on his side.
Kurt waited anxiously for Blaine to return. He had left Kurt at a table in the Dalton café, and had gone off somewhere else. Kurt had considered leaving, but something in his heart told him that he had to stay.
Blaine finally came back, two of his friends trailing behind him. He slid a coffee cup across the table in Kurt’s direction. “Latte?”
“Thank you,” Kurt whispered, accepting the drink.
Blaine sat down. “This is Wes and David.”
Kurt felt his heart stop. Wes. He stared at the boy who Blaine had gestured to. Beautiful, smooth skin. Strong jaw. Dark eyes that Kurt could stare into for hours. Eyes that Kurt had imagined for hours, yet nothing so beautiful could ever be created in his head. “Wes,” he whispered.
“Kurt,” Wes said. It almost shocked Kurt how the stunning voice he had fallen for actually had an owner, yet the voice seemed so right coming from him.
“Do you guys know each other?” Blaine chuckled nervously.
“Blaine, David, can you give us a moment alone, please?”
Blaine nodded his head slowly and he and David left the café.
“So,” Wes said, “I finally get to put a face to your stunning voice.”
Kurt blushed and smiled. He couldn’t even begin to form words; he hadn’t felt happiness like this in a long time.
“And there it is. That beautiful smile that I had imagined for so long.”
“Stop.” Kurt laughed.
“Stop what? Saying the truth? Kurt,” Wes reached across the table and took Kurt’s hand in his, “you are amazing, and I really get the feeling that you don’t see it.”
Kurt’s eyes watered over. “Thank you.”
Wes stood up, walked around the table so he was standing in front of Kurt, then gently cupped his face. He leaned down and closed the gap between them, kissing him softly. He pulled away and stroked Kurt’s cheek lightly. “You’re welcome,” he whispered.