It was a spring day. The sun was shining beyond interspersed clouds. Kurt sat on the red and white checkered picnic blanket in the courtyard of McKinley High. There was so much commotion around him, students passing by, over-exuberant voices in the background, the sound of traffic along the adjacent street … yet he was only focused on one thing – one person: Blaine. Blaine and those damned eyes. Behind those long dark lashes his gaze illustrated something in-between heart-breaking and mesmerizing. It would be easy for Kurt to fall right into them and tangle himself into Blaine's love again. Blaine's love – it had always been constant. Even when he had cheated Kurt knew that Blaine loved him - before, during, and after. So why was he trying to resist? Why couldn't he allow himself to fall into the arms of his one true love? That's what Blaine was and Kurt knew that he would continue to be for the rest of his life – come what may. Come what may.

Blaine's eyes. Usually, they were hazel but today they took on more of a green lustre as they played off the yellow bowtie he was wearing – the one which matched his tight yellow jeans. His white polo shirt was crisp against his sculpted olive-toned arms. His hair was perfectly gelled and his smile was genuine and adorable, as always. Blaine. Genuine and adorable. Always.

"Just please say that you and I can be boyfriends again," Blaine pleaded gently.

Kurt tried his hardest to resist. He had been resisting all week. He knew what Blaine had been up to these past days and Kurt really wanted to just sink into him like old times. After all, Blaine had been there to help him through his Dad's cancer. He had been a true friend – that had never changed. He really just wanted to take Blaine into his arms and profess his love but he just couldn't. Too much time had passed, too much had happened to both he and Blaine. He knew that eventually they would end up together – they were soulmates after all but he wasn't ready. If they rushed back into a relationship now it would never work. They both needed time to breathe and grow on their own because when they were to eventually come together it would be for good. At least this is what Kurt told himself.

"I can't," Kurt tore his gaze from Blaine's pleading eyes.

"Please Kurt, can we just try?"

"We're not ready, Blaine."

"I'm ready. I'm really ready Kurt. I need you in my life. You're my everything." He scooted closer to Kurt on the blanket.

"And you are mine, which is why no matter what paths we take we will find each other again and when we do it will be glorious because we'll be ready to commit and to trust," Kurt said almost in a whisper.

Blaine pressed his lips together and hung his head. "You still don't trust me?"

"I'm desperately trying to."

"Okay." Blaine made to get up.

"Hey. Whoa. Wait a minute," Kurt said. "You're just going to leave?"

Blaine looked down at him with a sad and confused look on his face. "What else is there for me to do? You told me no." His arms flailed up defeated.

"But that doesn't mean we can't hang out as friends. We've always been friends, Blaine. I need you to be my friend – no one else can keep me grounded like you can."

Blaine scoffed. "Are you serious?"

Kurt stood up so that they could be face to face again. "You don't want to be my friend?"

"Kurt, I want to be your friend, your boyfriend, your lover, your… more than anything." He stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Kurt's elbow. "But for me, it has to be all or none at all. Do you know how hard it is for me to hang out with you and not be able to call you mine? To not be able to caress your beautiful face, intertwine my fingers with yours, or kiss those sweet lips? No Kurt. We can't just be friends. We've experienced too much together to just be platonic. It would just be too much for me to bear."

"Blaine…"

"I'm sorry Kurt." Blaine whispered and shook his head. He had been working towards this moment all week … all year really … and Kurt had just broken his heart. He made to leave again because any second the flood gates would open and he would bawl. He couldn't let Kurt see him cry. Not this time. "Have a safe trip back to New York." And with that he turned on his heels and hopped briskly down the steps and ran into the building.

Burt Hummel had just returned home from dropping his son off at the airport. It was always hard to say good-bye to him but this time it had been almost excruciating. Kurt had been very sad. He seemed lost and even disoriented. Of course, Burt knew why. There were very few things that got Kurt off his game – trouble with Blaine was one of them. Burt played the conversation back in his head and hoped that he had been able to give his son adequate advice.

"Kurt, what happened with Blaine?"

Kurt stopped wheeling his suitcase so that he could turn to his dad. "What makes you think something happened with Blaine?"

Burt didn't respond. He simply stared at Kurt in the knowing way that only Burt Hummel could. Kurt sighed. "He asked me to get back together and I said no."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Kurt paused. "I want to, dad but… he really hurt me and it's just going to take a bit longer for me to get over it."

"I understand. Just… don't make him wait too long, son."

"Dad, it's not like I'm doing it on purpose. Besides, whose side are you on anyway?"

"I'm always on your side, Kurt – that is why I'm telling you not to make him wait too long. If you lose Blaine because you were too scared to take the plunge you will never forgive yourself. I don't want you to be miserable."

"Well, I may have already lost him for good. He doesn't even want to be my friend."

Burt sighed and hugged his son. "You two will find each other again. You guys love each other too much for the universe to keep you apart."

The doorbell rang, bringing Burt out of his thoughts. He moved to answer the door and found Blaine standing on his front steps with red swollen eyes. "Is he gone?"

"I'm afraid so, son. Come on in."

Blaine stepped into the house and couldn't hold in his sobs any longer; he broke down. "I'm sorry. I had nowhere else to go. No one else would really understand."

"I know buddy," Burt pulled him into a hug. "I'm glad you came to me. You're always welcome in this house." He patted his back softly. "He loves you, you know. He just needs time."

"I can't breathe without him in my life. But I can't breathe with him in my life either – unless it's all in. He's my soulmate, Burt." He sobbed.

"If he's your soulmate you'll find each other again."

"But what if it's not until we're old and grey? What if we waste our lives away being miserable before we realize that we love each other and want to spend our lives together?"

"I don't think that will happen, Blaine. You are both too smart for that."

Blaine plopped himself down on the couch and pressed his face to his hands. A broken whisper came out of him. "I can't do this anymore. This year has been horrible without him. I barely survived. The only thing that kept me going was Glee. Now I'm graduating and will be moving away – I'll be all alone, without my family, friends, and still without Kurt. I won't survive."

"You will, Blaine. Where is the strong and confident young man I know? You can do this. Prove to yourself that you can survive without him and sooner than you know it he'll come to his senses." Burt squeezed Blaine's shoulder as he sat beside him. "You can do this, kid. I have faith in you."

Blaine hung his head and fiddled with his fingers. "I'm not going to NYADA anymore."

"And why not?"

"Because Kurt is there. If I see him, which I'm sure I will, it will just remind me that he's not mine – especially if I see him with … someone else."

"Then where will you go?"

Blaine only answered with a shrug as hot thick tears streamed down his cheeks.