AUGUST, 1988, SEATTLE, WA

                     WITH ANOTHER CLOSE of an exceedingly eventful summer, Lindy felt somber about having to once again re-commit to hours of schoolwork instead of dedicating her spare time to work and goofing around with Kurt. She sat in his bedroom, her legs crossed and a heavy human-anatomy textbook in her lap as she studied its open pages. The only way to get ahead would be to take advantage of having bought the book early.

It wasn't long before Kurt came bounding happily into the room, a large cardboard box in his hands. His blue eyes held a captivating glimmer of excitement.

"Linds, I have a surprise for you," he announced. Lindy glanced up from her book, her dark hair, which had grown past her elbows in the last few months, falling into her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked, attempting to make her voice sound upbeat rather than tired, a reflection of how much it pained her to scan rows of tiny text for so long.

On the contrary to Kurt's so-called 'surprise,' Lindy found herself feeling less than astounded by whatever he was about to present. It wasn't because she was pessimistic or found him to be a bore, but because she had grown very used to the buoyant and cheery behavior Kurt had been displaying since the news of the Sub Pop recording session.

They had been planning all summer for the single to be released in the fall, which would in turn mean more shows and (in Kurt's own words) a potential album. He was on cloud nine, floating about the house, offering to cook and cleaning without being asked to. Lindy had always thought of Kurt to be an inherently good-natured person, but never had she seen him be so optimistic about the world.

She and the others, meaning Krist, Shelli and Chad, had ended up far more suspicious of what had been going on that summer than Kurt. While Kurt had maintained a positive outlook on behalf of the efforts Sub Pop was putting into their future single, everyone else had been quick to notice the fishy behavior of the label.

It had all began when Kurt had been asked to shell out two-hundred dollars on loan by one of Sub Pop's owners. Everyone had been outraged but Kurt had obliged, insisting that it would quite literally pay off in the coming months. Lindy herself had started to harbor a strong distrust of the label, but would have preferred to see Kurt happy over anything. She didn't know much about the industry and would have hated to assume her position and upset him. 

"Take a look," he grinned, setting the box down gingerly at the foot of his bed. Lindy smiled curiously, removing her book from her lap and crawling across the bed towards her awaited gift.

When she pulled apart the flaps at the top and peered in, she shrieked with delight.

"A kitten! No way!" she cried. At the bottom of the box was a mewling black and white kitten, looking up at her with startling green eyes as if begging to be removed from its temporary shelter.

Lindy scooped the tiny cat up in her hands, cradling it to her chest with a look of true elation on her face. She could have cried she was so euphoric, having shared a love of cats with Kurt from the beginning of their relationship.

"He's cute, right? Well, I think it's a he, as far as I can tell. I found him a few streets over, hiding under a bush. Took me awhile to catch him but I couldn't just leave him there."

"Absolutely not," Lindy agreed, holding the kitten up to her face so she could stare into its perfectly round eyes.

"Hi baby," she cooed. "You're safe now."

"What should we call him?" Kurt mused, sitting down besides Lindy and reaching out to pet the kitten's nose with his pointer finger.

"I always said if I were to have my own cat, I'd name him Freddie," Lindy admitted. Kurt snickered.

"Freddie? Why does it have to be a human name?"

"Haven't you heard of Freddie Mercury?"

"No, of course not," Kurt said sarcastically as Lindy thumped him in the shoulder.

"Come on! It's a cute name!" she protested.

Kurt sighed, but his smile held no sign of displeasure. If anything, he enjoyed the name as much as she did.

"Okay, fine. His name is Freddie. And he's our surrogate kid."

"That he is," Lindy said, nestling Freddie into the crook of her arms and watching him snuggle into her, searching for her warmth. She smiled at Kurt, completely in love with their new pet.

"This is the best thing you've ever done for me," she told him, still enthralled over the idea of being a cat owner, something she had wanted for so long but had been kept from due to Lee's distaste for pets. 

Kurt smiled, leaning his blonde head on her shoulder sweetly like a bashful child. With a gentle hand, he stroked Freddie's head, pleased as the kitten began to purr loudly with contentment.

Lindy held Freddie tightly, staring down with love in her eyes as she relished in she and Kurt's first joint responsibility, their first time opportunity as a pair to raise a little life and welcome it into their home.

_________

"So, do you think you're going to take it?"

Lindy was standing outside of a sketchy apartment complex, her usual jean jacket on and her fists balled inside the pockets. She squinted against the noonday sunlight, examining the apartments towering in front of her once more.

"You said the rent includes all utilities, right?" she clarified.

The man in front of her, who looked to be in his early forties, did not answer right away. He appeared to be too busy staring at Kurt, who was struggling to get his lighter to work against the tip of the cigarette dangling between his lips.

"Um, yes. It does," the man finally said. Lindy smiled kindly, hoping she came across as a good, steady renter who would take care of the apartment. Based off the way the man was looking at Kurt, it appeared that he was having his fair share of doubts.

In the past week, Lindy had finally salvaged enough work money to pool together a sufficient amount for her own apartment. It was perfect timing, as the new semester began in several days and it was imperative that Lindy find a place to store her belongings. Kurt's bedroom at Krist and Shelli's house could simply no longer contain all of her earthly possessions.

Lindy nervously side-glanced Kurt, who had finally lit the cigarette and was sucking deep pulls of smoke from it.

He had originally said no to living with her. Not because he did not want to, but because he admitted with a red face and an embarrassed mutter that he did not have the funds to help her pay rent.

Lindy had treaded carefully when approaching the situation. She knew (even Krist had told her so) that she should charge Kurt for rent, but the matter of the fact was that he had not even been able to pay Krist and Shelli in months. Therefore, there was no way he would be able to pay her either.

But Lindy loved him. She loved him so much that she could not bear a second away from him. As she had stood in his room, looking down at his hunched frame as he shied away sadly, she felt the weight of her money in her pocket. It was reminding her that she had never been more of an adult than she was in that moment. But she couldn't picture her adult life sans Kurt.

So there they were, touring one of the cheaper apartment complexes near campus. Kurt would be living with Lindy, rent free. He had sworn to her a million times over that he would pay her back, but Lindy knew better and assured him that it was enough to merely have him with her.

"I think we're going to take it," Lindy said, looking to Kurt for his approval. He seemed surprised to have been acknowledged, widening his eyes but nodding encouragingly. 

"Excellent! I'm assuming you'll be needing to move in as quickly as possible?" the man asked. His tone of voice made it plainly clear that he was relieved to be ridding himself of Lindy and Kurt's presence.

"Yes. My classes start in three days," Lindy explained.

"Oh, don't worry. You and your boyfriend here will both be able to move in in time for your classes."

Lindy felt the air between the three of them change instantly, taking on the familiar feeling of an impending rain storm. Her eyes flickered to Kurt, who had removed his cigarette from his mouth and crushed it on the ground. His eyes were locked on the pavement.

He would get over it. He always did when it came to those things. But of course, the man had pointed out just another hidden thing that had set Lindy and Kurt apart. She was in school, studying tediously to graduate with a reputable job, while Kurt's life had become entirely devoted to the band.

Lindy didn't mind this. In fact, she embraced it. She loved that Kurt was different than she was, with different passions and goals. She didn't care that sometimes, it was so painfully obvious that they were as different as the moon and the stars.

But as she looked at Kurt's face, tight with distaste, she wondered if he did in fact truly care.

_________

The next day, they both moved in with the helping hands of Krist and Shelli. Boxes had been packed the previous night and it had not taken long. Between Lindy and Kurt, they did not have much to take with them.

"This place is cute!" Shelli exclaimed as she walked through the front door, a box tucked under one arm and Freddie the kitten in the other. She let him down, allowing him to dart into the living room.

"It's homey, right?" Lindy said, walking in and looking around. The apartment was no doubt small, with only one bedroom and a kitchen that expanded into the living room, but it was still cozy in its own charismatic sort of way. It had the vestige of being someone's first apartment. 

"Definitely," Shelli confirmed, seating herself on the couch that had come with the place.

"I just wish Trae had gotten off work to come see it and help," Lindy sighed, joining Shelli on the couch and resting her head on her shoulder. Shelli patted her reassuringly.

"Oh no, absolutely not! Get up!" Krist shouted, half-staggering into the entryway and dropping a box with a loud thump that shook the floor.

"You two don't just get to sit there! We need help!" Krist demanded as Kurt too came around the corner, sweating, out of breath and balancing three stacked boxes in his arms. He had never done that much manual labor in his whole life.

"We don't even have a lot of stuff!" Lindy objected.

"Don't be stupid, did you think Shelli and I were going to let you and Kurt live without the essentials? We bought some stuff for you guys, you know, typical household items. Like plates and cutlery and shit."

Touched, Lindy stood and walked to Krist, throwing her arms around his midsection. Her head barely reached the top of his chest.

"You guys!" Lindy cried. "You didn't have to do that!"

"Just don't expect any gifts from us when you both get married," Krist cautioned, sliding a box towards the kitchen using his foot. Shelli winked at Lindy as she followed behind him.

"They're amazing, those two," Lindy sighed happily, turning to Kurt. He let out a laugh.

"He's sucking up to you. Krist thinks he's the new Trae in your life."

"He basically is my second brother," Lindy admitted. Kurt took her hand, holding it at his side and looking around their new home with wandering eyes.

"It's great here, Linds, but how am I going to practice with the band?"

"Krist's house," Lindy said automatically. "You've got to, or else I think we'd be evicted. And no drawing on the walls!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. Everyone who knew him knew that he had a terrible habit of finding the nearest marker and inking a creation onto the drywall.

"YOU TWO! GET DOWN THERE AND GRAB BOXES NOW OR I SWEAR I'M GOING TO RETURN THIS NICE BLENDER!" Krist shouted from the kitchen.

Lindy and Kurt wasted no time scampering out the door before they had to face Krist's wrath. They laughed as they ran down the building's stairs, nearly tripping one another in an effort to see who could reach the bottom the fastest.

Not once did they let go of each other's hands.