The Lima Bean was filling up with students grabbing some coffee before they went home or hanging out with their friends to gossip about the day. Blaine entered alone, however. Leather satchel slung over his shoulder and his phone gripped in one hand. Hazel gaze drifted from table to table trying to pick out the girl who he barely knew until they were assigned to work on a project in Photography together. Valerie. That was her name. She seemed nice enough and even if they were strangers? Being assigned a partnership with some of the kids in that class would have made him want to pull his hair out by the end of one day. McKinley did seem to have it’s fair share of … be nice.

Instead of spending their after school hours in school, Blaine suggested they meet here to organize things and get to know one another. He’d grabbed his homework and hurried to the cafe as soon as the last bell rang. By the looks of it? He’d beat her here. Grabbing one of the last empty places to sit, he staked their claim on it by sitting down and setting his bag on the tabletop. There. They had their spot. The former Warbler busied himself by firing off a couple texts to his boyfriend while he waited for his new partner to show up.

Blaine was so caught up in snapping as many pictures as he could of gold
stars with the names of his idols etched inside them outside

Grauman’s
Chinese Theatre that he had no idea he was about to collide with someone
just going about their daily lives. A wisp of blonde hair caught in the lense of
his camera was his only warning. Too late. His feet skittered to a halt right
when they were pressed chest to chest with one another barely avoiding
impact. Embarrassed beyond belief, his camera dropped to hang around his
neck and both hands came up between them as he took a jump backwards
to give Chris some space.

“I’m so sorry! Stupid tourist not paying attention to where he’s going,” he
blushed and cringed as he reached back to rub his neck. “I’ll..uhm..let you
be on your way,” his hand gestured for Chris to pass on the downswing as
he bowed out of the way trying to hide the blush warming his face by not
quite making eye contact.

@coffeeiisms (tag: Pitch!)

Blaine stepped off the stage after his last number for the evening, grinning happily from ear to ear. After being pulled aside by several attendees on his way down the steps, he began mingling through the crowd thanking the event attendees. Especially the ones June pointed out that donated the most. Or were people he had to talk to. “I know that June just finished making rounds to thank everyone who attended tonight,” he smiled up at the well-dressed man as he approached offering him his hand, “But I wanted to personally say thanks for being so generous. You’ve really helped make a difference to a cause that means a lot to her and I.”

‘i will be the biggest star of them all.’

“If there’s anyone who can pull off that statement? We all know it’s you, Rachel. Until that happens? We should settle on this song list we’re pitching to Mr. Schue for Sectionals. Unless you plan on giving up and going with another 80′s rock medley? Not that there aren’t some wonderful songs I’m sure he’ll skip over. I really liked the idea you had for the chance to change things up. Stardom awaits past yet another trophy. Baby steps to Broadway as I like to call it. What do you think?”