"Get up Kurt," Rachel demanded from her friend's bedroom door. When Kurt didn't answer, she strode into the room and threw the curtains open. She was determined to help her best friend mend his broken heart once and for all. She moved over to the bed and threw the comforter on the floor.
Kurt grunted at the sudden influx of light and used his hand to cover his eyes. "Go away Rachel," he groaned.
"No, I'm not going anywhere. I won't continue to sit around and pretend that you're okay when you're obviously miserable. Now, get up."
"Not miserable. Not getting up," Kurt mumbled.
Rachel shook her head. "Oh please Kurt. I learned how to see through your bull shit lies a long time ago. Not only that, but you're wearing the exact same outfit as you wore when we went to dinner with Santana and Mercedes." When the only response she received was a shrug, she sighed. "That was a week ago Kurt. What happened after we went our separate ways?"
Kurt moved his hand so he could look at Rachel. "I saw him Rach. I saw him," he rushed out. "He looked so happy. Happier than he would have ever been with me."
"Kurt," Rachel said softly, "you don't know th-"
"Yes, I do. You didn't see what I saw Rachel. It's one thing to have the knowledge that they are together, but to see it in person? It hurts," Kurt said.
Rachel sat on the edge of the bed and patted Kurt's leg sympathetically. "I'm really sorry about that Kurt."
"And I'm trying really hard to be happy for them. I don't want to become one of those that obsesses over their ex because they can't let the past go. I'm turning over a new leaf," he stated proudly.
"It's okay if you aren't though Kurt. Nobody would think any less of you for not being happy for Sam and Blaine."
Kurt sat up and gave Rachel a small smile. "For the first few years after I found out that they were a couple I wasn't."
"Oh, I know. I'm still sorry about the time I yelled at you. I could have been a lot more sensitive and… understanding about the situation."
Rachel and Mercedes had surprised Kurt earlier in the evening by showing up at Vogue and taking him to an early dinner. It had been two years to the day since Kurt had broken up with Blaine for good. As his best friends, they'd taken it upon themselves to distract him with good conversation and his favorite foods. After their meal, they'd decided to walk to Central Park.
Rachel informed them that she'd auditioned for the role of Jack Kelly and had actually gotten the part.
"Really Rachel," Kurt had questioned.
"Yeah. If men can play female characters, then why can't women play male characters," she shot back.
Kurt put his hands up, replying, "No need to bite my head off. I didn't mean it that way. I was actually more concerned about how you were going to get through the entire run of the show singing tenor."
"Let's just say that I have my ways," she smirked. "Anyway, how is your second album coming along Mercedes?"
"It's going great! I've actually been in talks with a few people and I can't tell you all of the details right now, but I'm definitely going to have a few surprise guests on it."
Kurt's eyes lit up at the mention of 'surprise guests'. "Come on Mercedes. The three of us know that you're absolutely dying to tell us who they are," he shrieked.
"You're right, I am, but I want you to be surprised when you hear the album more. Sorry, but my lips are sealed." Mercedes giggled when Kurt pouted.
They'd gone back to chatting, and enjoying spending time with each other. As they made their way to the park, Kurt spotted a mural that he said would make an amazing backdrop for an impromptu photo shoot. He motioned for Mercedes and Rachel to stand in front of it and gave them directions on how he wanted them to pose.
When Kurt was satisfied with the shots he'd taken, he showed them to his friends. "I really like these three pictures. You both look absolutely stunning," he said matter-of-factly. "Would you both be okay if I added them to the portfolio I have on Facebook?"
"Of course we would Kurt," Mercedes chirped.
"Great," Kurt said as he opened his Facebook app. He quickly uploaded the three photos to portfolio album and did a quick scan of his feed. "Oh. Well… That's, uh, interesting I guess," he muttered.
"What happened," Rachel asked looking at Mercedes.
Kurt shook his head. He cleared his throat before saying, "It's nothing. So look, I've had a great time, but I need to get home. I have an early day tomorrow. So, yeah…" Kurt hugged them and headed in the direction of his apartment. He could hear Rachel and Mercedes calling after him, but he was too stunned to turn around and go back to them.
When he made it back to his apartment, he let himself in. He slid down the wall to the floor and stared blankly in front of himself. An hour later, Rachel knocked on his door, begging him to let her in. Kurt wanted to tell her that he just needed to be alone, but when he opened his mouth, his tears fell.
"Kurt, let me in or I'll let myself in. You have five-seconds," Rachel told him. Not waiting for a response, Rachel used her key to unlock the door and enter her friends home. She sat on the floor next to him and hugged him. The second her arms went around Kurt, he began sobbing, hard. "Whatever it is, it's going to be all right," she assured him.
It felt like time had stopped. The last time he felt that way was six months after the breakup, when it really set in that he and Blaine would never get back together. Sure, it had been his choice, but that didn't stop his heart from aching. "I can't believe that Sam, straight Sam, is dating my Blaine. How did this happen Rach," Kurt cried onto his best friend's shoulder when he finally found his voice.
"I don't know Kurt," Rachel responded, rubbing his back.
"How could they do this to me? I thought Sam was my friend."
"Sam is your friend Kurt."
Kurt snorted. "Some friend he is. If he was really my friend, he wouldn't have lied to me, and he wouldn't be dating my ex-fiancé!"
"When did Sam ever lie to you," Rachel asked.
"Back when we were juniors, he said he wasn't gay. It might just be me, but a man dating another man? That seems like a pretty gay thing to do, don't you think?"
Rachel rolled her eyes and stood up, moving away from Kurt. "Kurt, I love you, but sometimes you are so dense. Did you ever stop to consider that at the time, Sam didn't know that he liked guys? Or maybe he wasn't ready to let people know that he liked guys? Maybe he already knew that he liked guys but didn't want the whole school to know.
Let's face it, you were as much of a gossip as JBI was. There are so many possibilities as to why Sam never said anything about the possibility of him liking boys. And honestly, if he was self aware at the time, it's a good thing he didn't say anything. Especially to you, because we all know that you would have kept pursuing him, like you did Finn even though you knew he was straight!
Just because you don't think that bisexuality is a real sexuality doesn't mean that it isn't! Everything isn't always black and white Kurt. And please tell me when exactly you are going to move on from Blaine. I am so sick of you going on about how you miss him, and how things could have been. This is your own fault! If you loved Blaine half as much as you keep saying you do, then you would have stayed with him and worked through your problems!
You need to grow the fuck up and move on already, because I cannot keep going back and forth with you! I refuse to keep doing it," Rachel yelled before storming out.
"That was nine years ago Rach. It's water under the bridge," Kurt replied, waving her apology away. "And anyway, I've spent the last three days reevaluating the choices that I made over the last nine years to end up here, and I can honestly say that I see things clearly now."
"Then why did you want me to leave you alone?"
"Just because I see things clearly doesn't mean that I wasn't still processing, and catching up on much needed sleep. Anyway, I know that you were doing your best to help me come to terms with the way Blaine and I's relationship ended. Sure you could have done so with a little more tact," he teased, "but I don't think that would have done anything to help me at the time."
Rachel grinned at Kurt. "I did manage to get you to start putting yourself out there again."
"Don't let it go to your head Mrs. Hudson. That first blind date you set me up on failed horribly."
"Okay, Jeremy did turn out to be atrocious," she conceded, "but you have to give me credit for Thomas because you did end up dating him."
"For five months," Kurt said exasperated.
"And at that point, when was the last time you dated anyone for that amount of time?"
"Low blow Rach."
Rachel smirked. "You know that I can't help myself sometimes. Now, go shower and put on something nice. Finn and I promised Kennedy that we would take her to the children's museum before Carole and Burt went back home, and she demanded that her Uncle Kurt come with us."
"Tut tut Rachel Barbra Hudson. Using my favorite four year old to manipulate me," Kurt scolded her as he stood up.
"It worked though," she remarked. "Now get a move on!"
"Where are we meeting them?"
"Uncle Kurt," Kennedy exclaimed when she saw her mom and uncle approaching her and her dad. "Look daddy! Its Uncle Kurt!"
Finn picked his daughter up before she could run towards his brother and wife. "I see Kenny."
"I'm happy Uncle Kurt is here, daddy," Kennedy said looking at Finn. "I haven't seen him in a million years," she sighed dramatically.
"I know sweetie," Finn chuckled.
"What do you know," Rachel asked when she reached her husband and daughter. She leaned forward to kiss Kennedy's forehead. "Hello Kenny."
"Hi mommy! Hi Uncle Kurt," Kennedy said excitedly. She reached her little arms out to Kurt and looked at him expectantly.
Finn smiled lovingly at his daughter. "Kennedy here was just saying how much she missed her uncle whom she hasn't seen in a very long time."
Kurt took his niece out of Finn's arms. He gave her a bear hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How is my favorite niece?"
"I'm your only niece Uncle Kurt," Kennedy giggled, "and I'm really, really happy." At that moment, the giggling little girl noticed her grandparents walking towards them. "We can go in now," she asked. When Carole nodded, she clapped her hands.
The group made their way inside, talking about the different activities the museum had to offer. "Well, no matter what, we definitely are going to go through the America to Zanzibar exhibit before we leave," Rachel stated. "It's always good to expose yourself to different cultures, and learn more about them."
Kennedy looked around the museum excitedly. She was more interested in the bright colors and climbable surfaces. "Flowers!" She pointed at the back wall and tried wiggling out of Kurt's arms.
Kurt put Kennedy on the floor and held on to her hand. "Do you want to go back there and make flowers too?" He looked back at his family when Kennedy nodded, and said, "I'm taking Kennedy to make flowers. We'll be back in a bit."
"Wookit daddy. I make Owivia flower. Think she like it," Shane asked hopefully. He lifted his hand up to show his dad the gift he made for his sister.
"She's gonna love it," Sam said looking down at the colorful paper. He held his hand out and waited for his two year old to grab it. "Let's go see if we can find Olivia and Tatay." They started walking towards the stairs, stopping so Sam could take a picture of Shane driving a fire truck. When they finally made it to the stairs, Sam looked up and saw Olivia and Blaine coming down them.
Shane looked up at his dad. "We go up?"
Sam shook his head. "Nope. Look up Shane."
The little boy snapped his head up. "Tatay! Owivia! Wook what I make," he shouted and held the flower up.
Olivia rushed down the last few steps. "It's really pretty Shane."
Shane leaned down as far as he could to give his big sister the flower to her. "Fow you," he said.
"Thank you Shane," she said taking the flower and giving her brother a kiss. She turned back and saw her other dad. "Can you put it in my hair for me Tatay," she asked.
"Of course," Blaine replied. He took the flower and wrapped it around her bun. After he made sure that it would stay in her hair, he took Shane out of Sam's arms.
"Thank you."
"Did you have fun Olivia," Sam asked looking down.
The little girl nodded emphatically. "Uh-huh! I got to make a water flowing tube and play with water and pretended to be a water science person and fish and, and… and what else did I do Tatay?"
"You also learned about the water cycle, and about different jobs that have to do with water. Do you remember the three jobs you learned about Livie?"
"Um the people that do science with the ocean, and turn other stuff into water, and the people that take out bad stuff from water," she said, unsure. When her dad nodded she smiled. "Daddy, can me and Shane go play with Dora and Diego? Pretty please?"
Sam quirked an eyebrow at his husband. "What do you think babe? Do we have time for that?"
Blaine looked down at his watch. "It should be fine. What do you think Shane? Do you want to play with Dora and Diego too."
"I go wit Owivia?"
"Yes, you go with Olivia." At his son's nod, Blaine said, "Okay. But after this, we are going to the America to Zanzibar exhibit, and then we are leaving."
"But Tatay I don-"
"Sorry sweetie, but we can't stay any later than two. You have a birthday party tonight, remember?"
"Yeah," she sniffled.
"And we still have to go buy your friend a birthday present. Plus, Tatay and I still need to pack an overnight bag for the sleepover after the party for you. We'll come back and stay for longer another time," Sam promised, wiping the few tears that rolled down Olivia's cheeks.
"Okay daddy," she responded quietly.
"So, I thought I saw Kurt earlier," Sam stated. "Shane and I were coming to find you two, and I could have sworn that I saw him with Finn and Rachel's daughter, Kennedy."
Blaine hummed noncommittally.
Sam slid his hand into Blaine's, attempting to get his attention. "Babe," he said when Blaine still didn't comment.
"Yes, mahal ko" he asked Sam, tearing his gaze away from their children.
Sam smiled sweetly at his husband's term of endearment. "I was just saying that I thought I'd seen Kurt downstairs."
"Oh," Blaine murmured.
"And I was thinking that maybe now it would be a good time for you to talk to him. Give you both some closure," Sam suggested.
Blaine reached for Sam's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Baby, I don't really think this is a good place to have a conversation like this. Or that. I know that you and I have talked about me reaching out to him to talk in the past, but the more I thought about it, I realized I didn't need to. I left everything out on the table…"
"It's okay. I assure you that I know you love me and our children. I have complete confidence in us," Sam stated. He knew that Blaine wouldn't talk to Kurt, even if it meant giving him closure, if he thought there was any chance that it would make Sam uncomfortable. And Sam thought it was sweet of him, but wanted this for Blaine. He needed it.
"Do you ever miss him? I mean, you two were together for a long time, and neither of you left everything out on the table," Sam said, looking down. He didn't want to seem insecure about their relationship, but he couldn't help it. He didn't mean to ask, but Blaine meant the world to him. Sam would be devastated if any unresolved feelings between Blaine and Kurt broke them up. "I know that we've talked about this before, but…"
Alarm bells went off in Blaine's head. He'd been working hard with Sam to build up his self-esteem, and he wouldn't let anything make the man that he loved feel insecure. "Sammy," Blaine said softly, "please look at me." He gave Sam a small smile when he looked up. "I know what you're thinking, and there is nothing in this world that could ever come in between what you and I have. Kurt was my first love, and I there will always be a special little place for him in my heart, and I do miss having Kurt as my friend, but that's it Sammy. And before you ask, no, I'm still not a mind reader."
"How do you know for sure? That there is nothing that could tear us apart?"
"I know because the love that I have for you is strong. I love you like I know that you love me. You are the most important person in the world to me Sam Evans, and I would never let anything come in between us because when I look at you, I can see the next seventy years of my life. And do you want to know the thing that cements that for me," Blaine asked. He waited for Sam to nod before continuing. "We were friends before we were lovers. We took the time to really get to know each other before our relationship progressed to dating. I loved you so much as my best friend, and when we became boyfriends, my love for you grew."
Sam smiled at Blaine. "My love for you grew too."
Blaine brought Sam's hand to his lips and kissed it. "There is only one person that I want to be with, and that person is you."
Blaine smiled at his husband. "You're so good to me Sam, but I mean it. I really did leave everything out on the table with Kurt. But maybe, it wouldn't be such a bad thing to try and reconnect with an old friend. What do you think Sammy? Maybe we can invite him to that dinner party we're throwing."
"I think that's a wonderful idea babe. I think we should get the kids and head out. We still need to buy a gift for the birthday party Olivia is going to, and pick up some food for dinner," Sam said.
Blaine removed his hand from Sam's and went to wrangle Olivia and Shane. "Come on kids. We have to go to the store before we go home."
Olivia and Shane ran to Blaine and each grabbed a hand. "Why we go to store Tatay," Shane asked.
"Daddy and I still have to take Olivia to buy her friend a birthday present."
"I get present too?"
"Not today buddy," Sam said, "but next week when grandma and grandpa come to visit us, we can go to the store and buy you something, okay?"
Shane nodded and said, "Otay daddy."
"Come on Tatay, I want to go," Olivia said impatiently.
"Yes, ma'am," Blaine said as his family left the children's museum.