Sitting in the Warbler's practice room, Blaine relaxed and listened to the quiet discussions going on around him. Sometimes he was still amazed at how different Dalton was from his old school, but, as a sophomore, he was no longer the new boy on the team.

No, he was lead soloist.

The new boy was Sam, a sweet blonde from Tennessee who had come to school on a soccer scholarship. He had auditioned and been accepted to the Warblers on the day Blaine had been sick in bed, so he really didn't know much about the boy's range (though he had no trouble harmonizing with the rest of the team).

Outside of the Warblers, he and Sam had found they shared many interests. Football, comics, all manner of sci-fi…Blaine had been surprised, as gorgeous, athletic boys usually preferred not to be openly geeky.

But Sam didn't seem to adhere to preconceptions. He was kind and lovely, a hard worker (even though his grades weren't great due to his dyslexia) and genuinely seem to want to make others happy.

It was safe to say Sam was Blaine's best friend.

"Hey," Sam greeted him quietly, settling onto the couch beside Blaine, his guitar cradled in his lap.

That was a surprise.

"Are you going to offer a song?"

The Warbler Council had opened the floor for suggestions for the love song they would have to perform at an upcoming competition. Usually they made the decisions amongst themselves, so this was a bit of a change of pace that seemed to unnerve many of the warblers.

Routine was very important at Dalton.

Sam flushed a little. "Yeah. I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be. I'm sure you'll do fine," Blaine assured him. "I can't wait to hear you sing."

Green eyes darted to him and Sam smiled a bit before Wes said, "Sam, do you have a song proposal today?"

"Oh, yes I do," Sam replied, standing and biting on his full lower lip as he slung the guitar over his shoulder. "Here goes…"

One word, that's all you said
Something in your voice caused me to turn my head
Your smile, just captured me
You were in my future as far as I could see
And I don't know how it happens, but it happens still
You asked me if I love you, if I always will

While, Sam's voice wasn't completely polished, it was warm and rich, on key and full of emotion. It was the depth of feeling he put into what he was singing that made Blaine's heart skip a beat.

Well you had me from hello
I felt love start to grow
The moment I looked into your eyes you won me
It was over from the start you completely stole my heart
And now you won't let go
I never even had a chance you know
You had me from hello

The depth of emotion and the fact that Sam kept casting nervous glances in his direction. It could be that he was looking to blame for support…or perhaps for another reason.

Inside I built a wall
So high around my heart, I thought I'd never fall
One touch, you brought it down
The bricks of my defenses scattered on the ground
And I swore to me I wasn't going to love again
The last time was the last time I'd let someone in

Sam knew Blaine was gay, as Blaine was out, and he hadn't batted an eyelash when learning that fact. Upon reflection, Blaine realized Sam had never commented on his own orientation, merely smiled.

But you had me from hello
I felt love start to grow
The moment I looked into your eyes you won me
It was over from the start you completely stole my heart
And now you won't let go
I never even had a chance you know
You had me from hello

Their eyes met and locked and Blaine hoped his face wasn't as flushed as it felt.

That's all you said
Something in your voice caused me to turn my head
You had me from hello
You had me from hello
Oooh, I've loved you from hello

When Sam concluded the song, there was a round of applause and Wes nodded. "Thank you, Sam. Not our usual style, but we'll keep it in mind."

The rest of practice was spent fine-tuning their current repertoire of songs, which allowed Blaine's mind to wander a little, glancing at Sam, but the blonde was focused on his own tasks.

After, when they were crossing the quad and headed back to their dorm, Blaine said, "I really liked your song."

He heard Sam take a sharp breath. "Really?"

"Yeah," he replied, then paused before continuing. "Were you singing to me?"

Sam's voice was so quiet he barely heard the response of, "Yeah."

Not bothering to hide his smile, Blaine stopped, tugging on Sam's arm until the taller boy turned to face him. Sam met his gaze, still clearly nervous, and Blaine took his free hand. "I'm glad. I had no idea. You didn't say you were gay when I told you."

Shrugging, Sam murmured, "Well, I like girls too. But I really like you."

"Just me, or…?"

Sam squirmed a little. "You're the only guy I know that I think about like…well, you know. They are actors I think are hot. Actresses too."

Nodding, Blaine said, "Okay, bisexual. That's cool…So, how would you feel about going to dinner with me this weekend? Off-campus. A date."

A smile crossed Sam's face. "I'd like that a lot."

Standing there on a cool fall evening, Blaine leaned up on his toes and kissed Sam softly, just once, smiling when the other boy's free arm wrapped around him, guitar case bumping against his back.