"Kurt Hummel."

Kurt looked up from his notebook; the entire lecture hall was staring at him. He blinked and realized that the last twenty minutes had been spent doodling a picture of a guy in his class, three rows away. The professor waited impatiently.

"Yes?"

"Could you answer the question?"

Kurt swallowed and smiled innocently, "Oh right, of course. Umm, c-could you repeat the question?"

The professor sighed and shook his head in disapproval. He turned his attention away from Kurt after making a mark on his clipboard. Nothing good would come from that. He moved onto the next hand in the air. Kurt sank back into his seat, his face prickling from embarrassment. From the corner of his eye he spotted his model, the spitting image on the corner of his notebook. The guy had just turned his head away to look toward the powerpoint. Kurt's stomach did a flip. Was he just watching him?

Kurt didn't even know his name but he saw him once in the union with his usual bowtie and sweater vest and he was probably the cutest thing Kurt had ever seen. Kurt tapped the eraser of his pencil on his notebook still staring at the back of the guy's head. He sighed knowing he didn't have the courage to approach him in a million lifetimes.


When 2:15 finally came around, Kurt scooped up his biology notebook and shoved it into his messenger bag. The crowded lecture hall filed out into the lobby of the main science building and apparently people were in an all fired hurry to make it to their next class or whatever else they had to do. In the rush someone bumped into Kurt and whether or not it was on purpose, Kurt flew forward his feet catching each other and his fell to the floor. As in high school, several others laughed but couldn't be bothered to assist him.

Kurt rolled his eyes and as some papers spilled from his bag, and a few pens and markers tried to make a get away a hand reached out from beside him to prevent anyone from stepping on them. Another body was directly beside him, quiet close to him actually.

"Here let me help."

Kurt turned and smiled but when he came face to face with the guy who wore the bowties and vests, Mr. Bowtie, the smile vanished and the English language was suddenly a foreign concept to him.

"Uhh."

The guy turned and handed Kurt his papers and sharpies. "Don't worry about them, some people are just oblivious to others."

Kurt swallowed. His throat felt dry and he screamed inside his head trying to form a sentence, a word any kind of sound would be nice.

The guy smirked and kept eye contact with Kurt. He laughed a little before setting the papers down on top of the messenger bag. His eyes were just as deep as Kurt had imagined them. Was it creepy that Kurt had often imagined this stranger's eyes only having seen him once?

"Well, I'm gotta get to my next class. So, I'll see you." And with that he left.

Kurt still sat there staring after him for a minute. He took a deep breath and speech was finally possible again. And although the Mr. Bowtie was long gone he smiled and said, "Thank you."

The encounter with Mr. Bowtie, as Kurt had decidedly named him in absence of an actual name, had left Kurt insanely distracted for the remainder of the day. After his dull sociology class, Kurt moved to the union to satisfy his stomach with whatever fatty food he could. Not by choice mind you, but the university seemed fit on fatting up the students like some twisted wicked witch who lived in a house of gingerbread. Salads were rare and far few between. The ones they did serve or offer had lettuce of very questionable nature.

And after determining that pizza or fries would not do, Kurt grabbed a bottle of Vitamin Water and a small container of grapes. It wasn't exactly the lunch of champions but it would do until he could find actually food back in his dorm.

Kurt found one of the café styled tables and took a seat. He went through the motions, set drink down on the table, set grapes on the table, take phone out of pocket and place it on the table, remove bag from across shoulder and set it beside the chair and finally sit down.

He stared across the open union watching others at tables with friends, laughing and just being annoyingly loud. Kurt had friends but they just so happened to have class when he did not. That was on the list of How College is Unfair under the number 4. People watching was entertaining though and from his vantage point Kurt could see just about the entirety of tables in the student union.

Kurt was mid sip of his water when a particularly buff man moved out of the way revealing Mr. Bowtie. Kurt choked and nearly spit the beverage everywhere. He coughed and swallowed, a tickle forming in his throat. His eyes locked on Mr. Bowtie sitting, alone and typing on his laptop. He wasn't far away either, only a few tables away and again, completely alone.

He smiled and finding some kind of courage Kurt stood up quickly packing his things and briskly weaved his way through the tables toward him.

Kurt took a deep breath and stood on the opposite side of the table. "Thank you."

Mr. Bowtie looked up. He gazed at Kurt momentarily forgetting who it was but then a pleasant grin spread across his face.

"Oh, don't mention it." he replied.

Kurt stayed standing and was silent for an awkward period of time. Words were a little easier now though.

"Not many people would have helped me." Kurt said, "I was surprised that you stopped. It caught me off guard."

"People can be kind of wrapped up in their own lives." he replied. "You're Kurt right?"

"You know my name." Kurt felt his stomach do a flip and he couldn't stop smiling.

The guy chuckled, "Yeah you're the one Professor Hannigan was calling on earlier today in Biology. Right?"

Kurt felt stupid. Of course that was how Mr. Bowtie knew his name, everyone in that dumb lecture hall would know it by now. His smile wavered.

"Only the most embarrassing moment of the college career."

"You shouldn't feel embarrassed, I don't pay attention 9 times out of 10 in that class. I'm not much of a science guy. I'm Blaine, by the way."

Blaine. Kurt recited the name in his head repeatedly and then once out loud. He loved the way it sounded and felt rolling off his tongue

"Blaine. It's nice to meet you."

Blaine nodded. "Nice to meet you too Kurt."

Kurt was just about to ask if he could sit when a girl walked over. Her long blonde hair and baby blue eyes flashing like a movie star. She stopped beside Blaine and eyed Kurt like some kind of disease. Kurt didn't know her from Eve and he already hated her.

"Sorry I'm late." she said to Blaine.

Blaine smiled at her. "It's okay. Oh umm, Penny this is Kurt. Kurt this is—"

"Penny." Kurt finished looking to the girl. He was already judging her and placing her into basic categories, what her major was, what activities or clubs she belonged to in high school, what beauty pageants she had won. The list went on. He still hated her. "I like that name." he said trying to make the situation less awkward.

Penny gave a quick smirk that read, "thank you, but I know that was sarcasm in your voice." It was true. Kurt was being sarcastic.

"And is…Kurt…staying?" she asked.

"No. I was just leaving, I'll see you later Blaine." Kurt said. He gave one final look to Blaine and for a moment Kurt swore he saw regret in Blaine's eyes. It was as if Blaine didn't want Kurt to go. Then again that could have been Kurt wanting Blaine to not want him to leave. He turned and left the union in a worse mood than before when he missed the opportunity to talk to Blaine. At least he knew his name now. The name rattled around in Kurt's head the whole walk back to his dorm.