It was $5.00 to wash and dry a load of clothes in her dorm at NYADA. It was highway robbery, or at least poor college student robbery. $2.50 to wash and $2.50 to dry. All in quarters. So if she washed her two loads of laundry every week, it'd be forty bucks a month. And that didn't even count detergent, fabric softener, or her pre-treatment. Rachel sighed. School was just expense after expense after expense. She really ought to get a job here in New York to help out her dads. If they'd let her that is. They insisted that she really needed to focus on her education if she was ever going to make it on Broadway.

So here she was, in the basement of her dorm, doing laundry on a Friday evening. It honestly was the favorite part of her week.

Because he was there.

She hadn't even realized when she moved to New York to attend NYADA that someone else from Ohio was going to be there along with her. She had heard of him, of course. He was one of the leading vocalists for the Dalton Academy Warblers, but that was it. They had never gotten a chance to meet because Dalton kept them all on a tight leash, even backstage. Always the classy gentlemen, no lounging around or goofing off like the New Directions had. Rachel herself had respected that, although she had to admit Artie and Mercedes cracking jokes backstage was one of the highlights of all their shows. She checked her phone with a sigh from her spot on top of a washing machine. Her clothes were spinning, and the phone was slightly vibrating in her vision.

Talk to him! – T

She really could throttle Tina from time to time. After the debacle with Finn and Quinn, she had given up on the boy. She had her career to think about. Ever since then, Mercedes and Tina were always trying to set her up. She just wasn't ready for love.

But god, he was pretty.

Actually, pretty was an understatement. She stole a glance at him while looking at her phone. A perfect model specimen of the human race was more like it. His hair was like that of a CW actor, his skin was flawless, and his clothes were always immaculate. He probably ironed. Where the heck did he fit an ironing board in the dorm rooms anyways? They were tiny. He probably curled his hair too. And had a skin care regiment.

And more than anything, he was probably gay. He had attended an all boys school after all. She sent a message back to Tina.

I can't! He's too CUTE! – R

They had been doing this for two months now. The laundry thing. It had become a habit. It really was nice to have someone with which a comfortable silence could be managed. They rarely ever spoke, except for the occasional hello and a nod to acknowledge each other's presence.

Rachel was pretty sure she had already fallen in love with him just on looks alone. But love really? She didn't even know him. He probably didn't know anything about her either. Maybe her therapist had been right. She did imagine herself being into gay men because it was what she was most familiar with, having two gay dads.

"Your washer's stopped," said a voice, startling her.

"Oh... thanks," said Rachel, surprised that he had spoken. He was lounging on one of the couches in the laundry room with a play script open in his lap. But he wasn't reading, instead starting off in space like he had other matters on his mind. Even the script looked sexy spread across his tight tangerine colored jeans. Where did you even get tangerine colored jeans anyways?

"You can call me Kurt you know."

Rachel blushed as she put her clothes into the dryer, feeding the quarters into the appropriate slot. She had been caught.

"Yes... Kurt."

"I know the New Directions had to have done their research. I'm surprised your stalking goes as far as NYADA."

Rachel winced. That had been a disaster. Still to this day, she thought she had put on a good disguise. But two boys, who she had found out later were named Wes and David, had pulled her aside and ousted her for spying after their performance. They had commended her on her cross-dressing abilities and bought her a cup of chai. The Warblers had put on a good show, and she had taken home more than a few numbers once she had been "caught." She never called any of them though. The Warblers had been the enemy; she wasn't supposed to be cavorting with the enemy. Especially after the Jesse St. James fiasco.

"I'm not stalking," scoffed Rachel. "I just like doing my laundry on Friday nights."

A smile reached his grey tinted eyes that matched the steel-esque coloring of his dress shirt. He was enjoying making her squirm. And how did his eyes always match his clothing?

"You're cute when you're lying," commented Kurt, closing his script.

"Alright fine," she said, phone in hand as she stood in front of him. "It's nice to have... something familiar." She sighed and sat down next to him on the couch. He raised an eyebrow at her sudden closeness.

"I will admit, it is nice to see a recognizable face," Kurt agreed. "Even if you did take the Warblers place at Nationals."

"It was one of our best victories," said Rachel with a small smirk. "Not that it took that much of course."

"Hey," exclaimed Kurt, holding up a finger. "That was an excellent performance."

Rachel giggled. "It was rather good. You were all good singers."

"Why thank you Rachel Berry. That is a compliment coming from you, Miss Diva."

"Hey!"

It was Kurt's turn to laugh. "However, you do need to work on your cross-gender acting skills. You so didn't make a very good boy. You were swinging your hips like a girl that it was pretty hilarious."

"You saw me that day?"

"I was singing with the Warblers. Of course I saw you. You stood out like a sore thumb."

"I have always wanted to ask. Why did the Warblers always do pop songs for competitions?"

Kurt frowned and turned his head. "That was never any of my decision, I'm afraid. It was usually a council consensus vote."

Rachel didn't bother to press the issue further. It was obvious there was more to the tale than he was willing to admit to in essence a stranger. She crossed her legs and sat back against the couch.

"So, are you from Westerville?"

"I'm from Lima, actually."

Rachel was surprised by that. "Then why didn't you go to McKinley? It's a lot closer."

"My mother was a teacher at Dalton," said Kurt. "Free tuition to teachers' kids, and Dalton is one of the finest schools in Ohio. My mother was beloved down there, and when she died, they offered my dad to continue on my education there in her memory."

Rachel's eyes softened. "I am sorry Kurt."

He gave a half-smile and shrugged. "I was eight. And I still have my Dad."

The brunette smiled. "I have two of those."

"Really?" said Kurt. "What is that like?" He seemed interested. She should have known he was gay.

"Insanity," she admitted. "They're adorable, but they kept pushing me into dancing and acting and singing classes because they thought it was what I wanted. I did, but sometimes I wonder if maybe it wasn't too much. I really didn't have friends till our sponsor started the show choir back up again at McKinley. And even that took a while."

"Sounds familiar," said Kurt. "The guys were lovable don't get me wrong, but I just never made a connection to anything at Dalton. It felt like I was living a half-life. Even up till I graduated." He sighed bitterly.

"Not even any dating prospects?" Rachel knew the question was leading, but she couldn't bother to care at this point. She was talking to Kurt. Somewhere Tina and Mercedes were probably squealing.

"I had thought so," said Kurt. He sighed. "Blaine. You know who I'm talking about. But I don't know. We dated off and on, but we just never clicked. We finally broke it off when I moved to New York. It was amicable, I suppose. It was like dating my best friend. Which he is, my best friend I mean. He's applying to NYADA next year."

So he was gay. Rachel's heart dropped at the confirmation. She shouldn't be surprised. It was a stereotype for a reason.

"So seen any cute ones around here?" smiled Rachel. At least she could talk to him about boys. She had started her second load of laundry and it was starting to spin. She hopped up on the washer. Kurt had gotten up himself to put a final load of towels into his laundry baskets. Where he had gotten large laundry baskets that closed and had handles, she just had to know.

"Yes," said Kurt with a small smile. "But they just don't measure up to someone I have had my eye on."

"Oh?" said Rachel, interested. She hoped she and Kurt could be friends. He seemed friendly and kind. "You have a crush then?"

"Yes," said Kurt. "I knew I have had it for a while. I've watched them for some time, doing show choir competitions and all. They usually put on a good show. I knew it perhaps could be something special my last year at Dalton. You see, I was sent to a particular auditorium to 'spy' on a performance of West Side Story that had a very beautiful Maria and a quite familiar cast that we were to be rivals for again. While most of the cast was the typical lack luster high school performance, Maria shined. Someone I could fall in love with. She has the lips of an angel, really."

Rachel sat there stunned. Was he talking about her? He had to be. She had been Maria! Her brain bounced from place to place, debating what to say.

"Wasn't that a song by Hinder?' she finally managed to stumble out of her mouth. Her heart was skipping in her chest, she could barely breathe.

Kurt smirked, handed Rachel her cell phone. He picked up his laundry, and headed for the door. Rachel then heard a melodic voice from the doorway. His voice was soft at first, but went clearer with every word.

"Girl you make it hard to be faithful with the lips of angel..."

"W—wait!" said Rachel with a squeal, hopping down off the washer. But Kurt had already disappeared into the elevators. A few seconds later, she felt her cell phone go off in her pocket.

You really shouldn't leave your phone lying around your crushes while you go on and on about show choir. – Kurt, or do I need to call myself K?

He was trying to drive her insane. First he admitted that he liked her, that was mind-boggling by itself. But then he also broke into her phone to get her number? She looked at the last text message and knew she hadn't sent it. He had texted a picture of himself sitting on the couch to Tina with the words: Why yes, I am cute. Tina of all people. Her phone went off again, and she groaned.

You have got to explain this! – T

Clothes be hanged. She turned off her phone and pocketed it. He wasn't getting away that easily. She was Rachel Berry after all.