Kurt got out of his dad's SUV at the airport and went around the back to grab his suitcase and satchel. He pulled his dad into a hug and then walked inside. He stood in this line and that line and went through security. He grabbed a coffee and sat down to think about what had happened in the last few days. He looked down at his finger.
Suddenly he was hit with reality like a gust of wind. Getting back together with Blaine and getting engaged when he was in love with Adam? Had he lost his mind entirely? What was in the water in Lima? Why had sung that song to Blaine? Yes, he wanted Blaine back in his life, but as a friend. Not as a boyfriend. He already had a boyfriend.
He couldn't go through with it. He knew it would break Blaine's heart, but the more he thought about he realized that the ring on his finger was like a collar around his neck. Blaine didn't buy a matching one for himself. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Blaine to wear one since he was the one that cheated the first time? Didn't he need more of a reminder to be faithful than Kurt did? He had officially lost it in Lima. Too much Ambien and Xanax maybe? Can that make a person crazy enough to agree to date and get engaged to their cheating ex?
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The instant he boarded the plane, he pulled out his phone and texted Adam.
To Adam: Please meet me at JFK tonight. My flight gets in at 8:50. I really need to see you.
From Adam: Is something wrong. Is your dad okay?
To Adam: My dad's fine, but I really need to see you. I have to turn my phone off now. Can you meet me?
From Adam: I'll be there.
To Adam: See you soon.
Kurt turned his phone off. After take off, he asked the stewardess if she had any envelopes or ziplock bags or anything he could store something small in. She looked at him kind of oddly, but came back a few minutes later with a ziplock bag. He thanked her. He slipped the ring off of his finger, put it in the ziplock bag and slid the bag into the interior pocket of his satchel and got his notebook out. He spent the flight to New York composing a letter to send to Blaine with the ring.
Kurt collected his suitcase and texted Adam his specific location. Within a few minutes Adam arrived. By the time he got there, Kurt had already broken down in tears. Adam grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.
"Oh, Kurt. What's wrong, love?"
Kurt couldn't manage to get anything out other than sobs. Adam grabbed his suitcase and pulled it to the outside area without letting go of Kurt and called for a cab. He knew that he couldn't put Kurt through a bus ride with as upset as he was. The cab pulled up, Adam put Kurt's luggage in and then eased Kurt into the backseat, sliding in next to him and gave the taxi driver the address to the loft.
Kurt just leaned on Adam and continued to cry. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"What are you sorry for, love?"
Hearing Adam call him "love" just made him cry all the harder. Adam just held him as close as possible during the taxi ride. When the car stopped, Adam got out and gently helped Kurt out. Adam grabbed Kurt's luggage and ushered him into the building.
Kurt got his keys out and opened the loft door. Fortunately, Santana and Rachel wouldn't be coming back for two more days. Kurt made his way to his bed and just fell face down while continuing to cry. Adam rubbed circles on his back and then said, "I'm going to make you some tea, sweetheart." He went out to the kitchen to boil some water. He set the cups to steep a bit and went to check on Kurt and found that he was still crying.
"Come on, love. You've got to tell me what's gotten you so upset." Kurt sat up and wiped his eyes on the handkerchief that Adam offered him.
"I can't go back to Lima ever again."
"What? Why not?" Adam looked really confused.
"I just can't. Something there makes me insane. Can a place make someone crazy? Maybe it was taking the Ambien and Xanax together?" Kurt rambled.
"I'm not following, love."
"I felt like I was in some kind of dream or alternate reality or something the last few days. And when I got to the airport, it was like my mind cleared and I couldn't believe what I had done. I had packed up my Xanax in the suitcase and forgotten to pull one out for the flight. I drank a cup of coffee and my mind began to clear. I'm guessing the Xanax was wearing off. Then, I was in shock. I couldn't believe what I had done. I'm so sorry."
"Kurt, I love you sweetheart, but you aren't make any sense."
"I know. I know. But I'm afraid to tell you what I did." Kurt broke down sobbing again.
Adam moved to go bring the cups of tea to the bedroom. He handed a cup to Kurt. "Here, love, drink the tea. Maybe you'll feel better."
"Thank you, but I don't think anything will make me feel better. But I'm never taking another Ambien or Xanax on the same day or maybe ever, even if I can't prove that's what made me crazy."
"Can you please explain to me what happened? I'm quite concerned."
"It was like I had gone back in time. I was at McKinley during the week and yesterday and then at Dalton today. And there was a marching band and four show choirs. And a picnic and an engagement ring and rose petals falling from the ceiling." Kurt began crying again.
"I'm still not following, sweetheart. What do you mean by engagement ring? Who got engaged?"
"I did," Kurt sobbed.
"Kurt, sweetheart, this doesn't make any sense."
"I know, but that doesn't change the fact that it's true. Blaine asked me to marry him and I said 'yes'. He put the ring on my finger and kissed me in front of like 100 people at Dalton earlier this afternoon."
Adam looked stunned. "But love, there's no ring on your finger. This isn't making any sense. You told me that you were over Blaine ages ago. You told me that you loved me."
"And I do. I love you so much. I don't love him, not at all. I can't figure out why I did this. It's like one of those weird, psycho movies where the plot keeps changing and the people's timelines keep getting messed up and they wake up and things that happened didn't and things that didn't happen did."
Adam shifted to slide back and lean against the headboard.
"Everyone was there. My dad, Rachel, Santana, Mercedes, all of the New Directions, the Warblers, Vocal Adrenaline and the deaf choir. Why would our opponents be there singing together with rose petals falling?"
"I'm still back at you being engaged. You're not wearing a ring."
"I took it off on the plane. I put it in a bag and put it in my satchel. I didn't want it on me. I don't want to marry him. I don't love him." Kurt sobbed more. "I love you, Adam."
"And, I, you, but I'm still so very confused." Adam said.
"I wrote him a letter on the plane. I'm going to the post office in the morning and sending the ring back," Kurt paused then started again. "I have to disappear for a while, Adam. I can't deal with Santana and Rachel when they get back Sunday. What am I going to do? What have I done?"
"Try to calm down, sweetheart."
"Why are you even being nice to me?"
"You have clearly had some sort of traumatic time the past few days. You didn't seem to be at all in your right mind. I think maybe we should see if we can get an appointment for you somewhere to make sure there's no long term problems."
"Wait, you mean you're not going to break up with me after I agreed to marry my ex?"
"Do you want me to break up with you?"
"No, God, no. I want to be with you. I love you. I'm so sorry. I don't understand what happened in Lima."
"Well, I can't say that I understand either, but it's clear to me that you didn't make sane or logical decisions while you were there. I really think a doctor is a good idea."
"I'll think about it. Will you stay here with me tonight? I just don't think I can be alone. I feel like I'm 'me' again, but I keep having flashbacks of the last few days and it's disorienting."
"Yes, love. Of course, I'll stay here. Do you want to try to sleep now?"
"Yeah. I really do. I'll get you some pajamas." Kurt moved to his dresser and got out two pairs of sleep pants. "I'm going to go shower if you don't mind. Will you sit in the bathroom with me or shower with me?"
"Well, given those two options, I think I'm definitely in need of a shower," he winked. They moved to the bathroom, showered quickly, and dressed in the sleep pants. Kurt carried their clothes to his bedroom and Adam double-checked the lock on the door and turned out all the lights, except a small one in the living room that would light the loft up just enough for Kurt to realize that he was in NY should he wake up during the night.
Adam climbed into bed and pulled Kurt up close to him. Kurt snuggled against him and fell asleep pretty quickly. Adam had noticed that Kurt never seemed to have trouble sleeping when they shared a bed. Adam, however, was finding sleep elusive. Thoughts of what on earth could cause his beloved to agree to even interact with his ex again, much less get engaged to him. Nothing came to mind and the whole situation seemed so surreal. He eventually fell asleep holding Kurt close.
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The next morning at 7:00, Kurt awoke with a start, but then looked around and realized that he was in his bed, in NY, in Adam's arms. He relaxed and calmed down, but not before accidentally waking Adam.
"Good morning, love. Everything okay? You startled."
"Everything's perfect. I'm here. You're here."
Adam smiled. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to make us some breakfast or do you want to sleep a while longer?"
"Do you really think it might have been somehow drug-induced? Do things like that happen in real life? This isn't some kind of sci fi movie."
"Well, honestly I have no idea, but that's why I think we should really take you to a doctor. We could just start by talking to the staff psychologist at NYADA. Maybe she can refer you to someone, if she thinks you need it."
"Okay. I could be okay with that as long as she has to keep everything confidential. The last thing I need is more rumors. I'm sure that someone video recorded that proposal. At least the ending where I said 'yes.'" Kurt started to cry again.
"Now, love, don't start to cry again. Let's work on figuring out how to make sure nothing crazy like this ever happens to you again. Now, that I'm thinking about it. We should go to the hospital today, like right now. If there was something in your system, we should go find out what it was. That will be much more helpful than trying to guess. I should have thought of that last night. Get up, get dressed. I'm going to call the closest hospital and ask where I should take you."
Adam looked up the hospital's number and got dressed as quickly as he could while holding the phone. Kurt got dressed as well. As soon as Adam hung up, he grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him toward the door.
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In no time, they were in a cab on the way to a clinic that opened at 8:00am that did drug screening for employers. They waited their turn, then explained to the doctor briefly why they were there and Kurt was taken back to the lab to have his blood drawn and to provide urine for a drug screening. Kurt returned to the room after he had completed the process.
He and Adam spoke while waiting for the doctor to return. "I'm really glad you thought of this. I'm certain that I just took my own prescriptions, but it's better to be certain and at least this way, we'll be able to tell the psychologist the results," Kurt said.
The doctor came back in. "Well, Kurt, the results will come back in a couple of days if they're negative. But of course, since you've been on prescription drugs, we know those will be picked up in the panels. So, it will be about 5 days before we get the results back. Make sure you leave a number with the nurse up front where we can contact you. I'm sorry to hear of your situation. I hope that the results are helpful somehow." And the doctor left.
Kurt stopped by the desk and left his number as requested. They left the clinic and decided to find the closest coffee shop and get some breakfast. While they were eating, Kurt brought up going to the post office again.
"You know what, I think we should go pay the student legal aid office a visit. Let's wait to send the ring back until we talk to someone," Adam suggested. They left the coffee shop and went to NYADA.
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Kurt followed Adam into the administrative building and then down a hall he had never been in. They opened the office door and spoke with the receptionist. Fortunately, there was an immediate opening due to a cancellation. They were ushered into the lawyer's office.
"Gentlemen, please have a seat. I'm Mr. Langston."
Kurt spoke up. "I'm Kurt Hummel and this is Adam Crawford." They all shook hands.
"How can I help you? Do you have a contract that you need me to help you go through?"
"No, this is actually a personal issue. Everything I say in here is confidential, right?"
"Yes, of course."
"I need to return an engagement ring and make it clear to the person that I do not want to be contacted in the future. I have a letter that I've written to him with me."
"Okay. I have to say this is one of the more unusual requests that I've had. Is there a reason that your school life would be affected? I generally provide school- or career-related services."
"I'm pretty certain that he will stop at nothing to get to me and make a nuisance of himself. He arranged a proposal with four rival show choirs in a school he doesn't attend anymore. 'Spectacle' should be his middle name."
"I see. I'd suggest that we type up a simple Cease and Desist letter. It will be kept in your file for future purposes of proving that you did write the letter. After the letter is done, you can take it down to the post office and send it, along with the ring, in the most secure way possible. Since I normally just deal with letters, not expensive jewelry, please speak to someone at the post office to determine the best mailing option. Now, can I see the letter you had already composed? I need to get an idea of what you are hoping to achieve."
"Here's the letter," he said handing it over. "What I want to achieve is a life without my ex in it. I want him to not call me, not email me, not text me, not contact me through any social media site, not to visit me in my home or to bother me at school or my jobs. Basically, I just want him to leave me alone, period."
"And you're certain a simple verbal request will not suffice?"
"I'm certain. He is unfamiliar with the term 'no' when it comes to getting what he wants."
"I see. Give me a few minutes and I'll type something up. You can look it over and make sure it covers everything. Then, I'll sign it and you'll sign it. I'll keep a copy in your file and I'll print two for you. One is to send and one is to keep on your person in case you ever need proof that you've asked him to leave you alone."
"Thank you."
About 10 minutes later, the letter was written, a few changes made, then signed. The two copies were in separate envelopes, and Kurt place them into satchel. He was ready to go to the post office. "Thank you so much for your help."
"That's what we're here for." The man shook hands with Adam and Kurt on their way out.
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Kurt and Adam left and headed out of the building. "Well, I guess I can see why our tuition is so high. Until you told me, I wasn't aware that we had a staff psychologist or a legal aid office that we could access at no charge."
"I'm glad I could be of help. I've known other students that have used the services."
They made their way to the post office and discussed the different options with one of the workers, then got back out of line to choose an option. "I'm thinking that maybe I should choose the restricted signature and send it to the school because he's never home during the daytime on weekdays when the mail arrives. I'm not sure how many times they'd try to deliver it before it got sent back or held at the post office in Lima waiting for him to go get it."
"I see your point, but what would the school do?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe I could send it to him in care of Miss Pillsbury. She'd have to go get him in order to make him sign for it. At least it would get to him quickly. And she's the school counselor, so she's in her office most of the time. I'm going to go ask how to address the envelope."
Adam waited for Kurt to come back. He had the envelope in his hand with the address written on it. He put the letter from the legal office inside and the ziplock bag with the ring in it into the registered mail envelope. He got back in line and it was finally done. "That cost a small fortune," Kurt said.
"Well, at least you'll know he got it."
"Yes. That's the only reason I went to so much trouble. I knew he would just say that he never got it and that we were still engaged. I struggle to even say that. It makes me sick to think about. I did love him, but that was a long time ago at this point. He broke my heart six months ago. And things were rocky even last spring. But it's over. 100% completely over. His ring is on its way back to him."
A thought popped into Kurt's head. "I need to call my dad and let him know that I sent the ring back. I'm not going to go into the whole situation. I'm just going to tell him that I don't want to marry Blaine. Simple and to the point. Truth, without any details. Until I can offer everyone something substantial to explain what happened, I don't really know what else to say."
"You don't really owe anyone an explanation for a personal decision. If they don't like that you've changed your mind, that's on them not on you, darling."
"You're right, but I hate this whole situation. It's just maddening." Kurt pulled his phone out and turned it on to make the call. His dad accepted what he said, but not without trying to get more details. He finally just let it go when Kurt wouldn't provide him with any.
After he finished speaking with his dad, Kurt and Adam took the subway back to the loft.
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Once they were back at the loft, Kurt plopped down on the couch and closed his eyes. Adam sat next to him and pulled him close.
After a few minutes, Kurt began to speak, "We have four weeks left in the semester. I have a huge question for you, especially with what I've put you through in the last 24 hours."
"What, love? What is your huge question?"
"What would you think of me moving in with you until your lease is up in May? I know it would be cramped adding all of my stuff into your apartment, but in reality, there's nothing here in the loft that I need, except my personal items, like my clothes and school stuff. The rest of it is just stuff that Rachel and I have bought since we've been in New York. I can either sell off the furniture that I bought for my bedroom or I can sell it to Santana and let her take over my part of the lease and the apartment."
"Well, darling, I am not opposed to you moving in with me. It actually sounds quite lovely. I do quite like snuggling with you," he said as he pulled Kurt even closer and kissed the back of his neck.
Kurt smiled and continued, "Since Santana is working now, she should be able to cover the rent, but if she doesn't want to, it might take some time for me to find someone from NYADA to take over my part of the lease. I wouldn't be able to help much with expenses until someone starts to pay my share of the loft rent."
"Look, love. I pay all of the expenses on my own as it is. The only additional cost you will add is additional groceries and that would be no different for you than paying for groceries at the loft."
"I don't want you to think I'm being a freeloader."
"Darling, the very fact that you are concerned about being a freeloader just confirms that you are most definitely not one."
"Let's go get some boxes and tape. We'll pack up my stuff. I think we might need one of those SUV taxis though to take it all to your place, if you're sure that you're okay with the idea."
"I am fine with it as long as you are sure that you want to do this. Why do you want to move out of the loft?"
"Both Rachel and Santana knew that I was over Blaine and that I love you. Yet, they both came to the proposal and participated as if it was the best idea since sliced bread. Why would people who know that I'm not in love with someone want to help that person propose? I can somewhat understand my dad. And the other members of New Directions since I doubt Blaine told anyone why we had broken up. I know that Sam knows the truth, but he's not the gossiping type, plus he and Finn weren't there. And I guess I can see people who don't know me might have thought that it would be a cool idea. Those big, flashy proposals are all the rage on YouTube. But anyone who knows me well, would know that I wouldn't like a public proposal."
"You are a very private person. A bold, fashionable private person," he said.
"Rachel and Finn were here when Blaine confessed to me that he had cheated on me and honestly I'm not sure how Santana found out, probably from Rachel. I just couldn't bring myself to admit that he had cheated on me to my dad or anyone else. Everyone probably assumed it was just the distance that caused us to break up since I never said anything. Growing up, everyone around me treated me like I wasn't a man. And I just felt like I wasn't 'man enough' to keep Blaine. When he told me that he had cheated on me, he said that I wasn't there for him and he needed me. I felt like it was my fault, that I let him down somehow."
"Sweetheart, it is always the cheater's choice to cheat and never the fault of the person cheated on. The cheater always has the opportunity to break up with their partner and choose someone new. Cheating is a choice."
"I know that now, and deep down I'm sure I knew that then. But at the time, I had just gotten to New York. I had failed my audition to get into NYADA. I had been here for less than 3 weeks. I had just gotten the internship, but I still wore my failure like a veil. It clouded how I viewed myself. My whole relationship with Blaine clouded how I viewed myself. You helped me to see that when you helped me realize that I couldn't even accept a simple compliment three months ago."
"See this is why I didn't break up with you, love. I know that you would not cheat on me after everything you've been through. If you had decided that you no longer wanted to be with me, you would have called me. I would have known you had changed your mind a few days ago. You would never cheat on me like that."
"Thank you for believing in me." Kurt grabbed Adam's hand and pulled it up to his heart and kept talking. "Anyway, both of them knew that I was in love with you and not Blaine, but I guess that didn't fit into their 'happily ever after high school gay love story'," Kurt said sarcastically making finger quotes. "I just don't know what else to think. But I do know that I cannot live with them anymore knowing that they would help him without talking to me to figure out what had changed in the few days I was in Lima."
"I can understand that."
"I left NY with you as my boyfriend, in an exclusive relationship, in love with you."
Adam smiled.
Kurt went on, "How could they just believe that I had done a 180 and would agree not only to break up with you and date him, but that in a few days' time that I would agree to marry someone I had been broken up with for over six months?"
"I know, darling. I know," Adam said reassuringly. "It makes no sense."
"This is the final straw with them. I have supported both of them, emotionally in Rachel's case and financially in Santana's. They just can't see past their own ideas. I'm not a princess in a fairy tale. Blaine is not my prince who will whisk me off into the sunset to my 'happily ever after'. I've been the butt of Santana's jibes for years. She's called me 'Lady Hummel' on a consistent basis for a long time. I am not a girl. I do not want to a girl. I am a man."
"I can attest to that," Adam said while wiggling his eyebrows.
Kurt smiled, but went back to what he was saying, "Rachel pushed me out of the spotlight for 3 years in high school and even when I won the contest fair and square at Midnight Madness, she was an incredibly sore loser. She has to be on top and to get there, she'll push anyone down that gets in her way, including her 'best friend'. I'm done."
"I understand, love. I really do. I've been here and seen Santana in action and I was there in the hallway when Rachel suggested that you try out for Fanny after Midnight Madness. I tried to think that she was just admitting how good you are, but since I've gotten to know her better, I have to wonder if she was just implying that you'd never make it in a man's role on stage. I've never really figured out why she considers you to be her competition. It would be an unlikely situation where the two of you would go up for the same part."
"Back in Senior year, she refused to kiss me during my audition for Tony in West Side Story and she didn't advocate for me at all when I lost the role to Blaine. She was more than happy to play Maria with Blaine as her Tony. He was the man that I wasn't in her eyes."
"And you stayed friends with her?"
"She and Blaine got everything. Always. I guess I just got used to losing. But I'm done with that. I'm never seeing Blaine again if I can help it. And I'm not living with Rachel or Santana anymore. Actually I can't really think of anyone I want to keep in contact with, except my family and Sam. I can't really fault my dad for taking me to the proposal when I hadn't been honest with him about the break up."
"So, moving out of the loft then. Shall we go find some boxes and tape and pack all of your stuff up?"
"Let's do it. We need to stop by the Super's office on the way out. I want my name off the lease and I'll give him the key. Rachel's dads can afford the rent if Santana refuses to pay her part and Rachel can kick her out and find someone to take her place. I've decided I'm just done and I'm not dealing with it anymore."
"Okay, love. Let's go get the boxes."
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Kurt and Adam managed to box up all of Kurt's possessions in record time. They dropped by the Super's and removed Kurt's name from the lease and turned his key in. Adam called for an SUV taxi while Kurt was working on the lease issue.
By the time Kurt came out, Adam had loaded over half the boxes into the SUV. Kurt helped him finish. They gave the driver Adam's address. They pulled up in front of Adam's place and got all of the boxes back out of the taxi.
Kurt paid the driver and turned to Adam, "I hadn't given this part of the process much thought. I guess we'll have to take turns carrying boxes up the stairs. It was easier with the elevator." After many trips up and down the stairs, they managed to get all of the boxes into Adam's apartment.
They flopped down on the couch. "Pizza." Kurt declared. "We've worked enough to earn the carbs and fat." Adam pulled out his phone and called his favorite pizza shop to have a pizza delivered.
"I've kept my phone off since I was on the plane, except when I was talking to my dad earlier. I think I'm going to need to go get a new number. But I'm too tired to go back out tonight. I'm just going to leave it off."
Kurt saw Adam's laptop on his coffee table. "Can I use your laptop for a few minutes?" Adam nodded. "Do you have a blank DVD handy? I don't want to dig through the boxes to find one." Adam got up and brought a DVD back and handed it to Kurt. "Thanks," he said as he slid it into the computer.
Kurt went to his FaceBook page and downloaded all of the images he had in his albums. Then he moved on to Twitter and Instagram and did the same thing. He used his phone cable and downloaded all of the images on his phone to the DVD as well.
After he double-checked that all of the images were on the DVD, he went back and deactivated his Facebook account and deleted the other two. He'd deal with his email account later. Until then, he could just delete any emails he got from people that he didn't want any contact with.
Adam handed him a permanent marker to write on the DVD. "Thanks," he said, and used it to label the DVD. He put it in the paper sleeve and then laid it on the table next to the laptop. "I'll sort through the photos later. I'm not in the mood to see 100 photos of Blaine right now. I'm throwing out that DVD once I've transferred the photos I actually want to keep to my laptop in a few days.
"Makes perfect sense to me. You don't want to be cyber-stalked. I get it."
"You get me. You just do. I've never met anyone like you," Kurt said as he slid back on the couch and snuggled into Adam's chest. "You are amazing."
"Well, the feeling is mutual because I happen to think that you are amazing."
Just then, they heard the buzzing from the intercom. Adam pressed the button and answered, "I'll be right down." Adam came back up with the pizza and Kurt let him in the apartment.
"mm. That smells good. I'm starving."
They polished off the pizza in no time.
"Shower?" Kurt asked.
"Definitely. Then to bed, I'm tuckered out."
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The next morning, Adam woke first. He slipped out of bed and started both tea and coffee, unsure which Kurt would want. He made a large omelette and by the time everything was ready, Kurt came out of the bedroom in a slight daze. "I smell tea and food. You are a saint."
"Not a saint. I just love you and wanted to make you breakfast. Here's your plate and your tea." They sat and ate in silence, both just a little too sleepy for conversation. After eating, they dressed and headed out to the nearest phone store.
Kurt sat down on a bench in the store and Adam followed. "I forgot to copy my contact info down. I'm just going to screen shot my contacts and email them to myself."
"That's a brilliant idea. And quick too."
Kurt took a number and walked around while he waited, a little too antsy to sit still.. Adam waited for him on the bench. A half hour later, Kurt had his new number and showed it to Adam, who immediately added it to his phone. Kurt texted his dad and told him not to give the number to anyone but Carole for now.
"I just thought of something else. What am I going to do about work? I work with both of them. I just can't escape."
"Let's think. What else could you get a job doing almost immediately? Don't you get paid for working at Vogue?"
"I do, but it's not enough."
"Your level of 'enough' has changed. If you don't have to pay rent at the loft, can you manage the rest of your expenses on what you make at Vogue, at least temporarily?"
"That's a good point. And yes, without paying rent, I'd be okay. As to what else I could do, I could go back to working as a mechanic."
"A mechanic?"
"Yes, I've been a certified mechanic since I was 16. I've been an ASE-certified mechanic since I was 18. I worked in my dad's shop for years."
"Well, that has to pay better that working in a diner."
"True, but working as a singing waiter seemed like it would be more fun. And it probably would be more fun if I didn't have to work with Rachel and Santana. Coming to New York was about trying new things. Vogue and the diner were new. Working on cars is something I've done since I was 8."
"Let's sit down somewhere and see where the closest repair shops are and call and see if any of them are hiring." After a half hour of calls, they had found one place not too far away that was hiring. They made their way over to the shop so Kurt could fill out an application. He filled it out and talked to the owner. The owner told him that so long as his references and certification checked out that he could use Kurt up to 10 hours a week, but no guaranteed hours until he could prove himself.
"Well, that's not a bad deal. You've got some presentations and finals coming up in the next month that will keep you busy. You'll make more than you did at the diner, so you won't need as many hours anyway."
"You're right. I hope this works out. Let's head back home."
"I like that. That your home is with me," Adam said as he reached for Kurt's hand and they walked back to the apartment.
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When they got upstairs, Adam said, "Why don't you go pull the clothes out of your suitcase and at least get those hung in the closet. You can set up that portable clothes rack you had over next to the dresser for now. That way you can get the things that wrinkle back on hangers quickly. While you do all that, I'll make us some lunch."
Kurt came back a while later. "Well, I got the important stuff hung up, but we're going to have to reorganize some things to make room for some of my other stuff. I'm not going to keep everything. I really need to make some decisions anyway. Living in New York is not going to allow me to have a massive walk-in closet like I had at home. I need to be more practical and let go of some things I've been holding onto but never actually wear. Maybe there will be a fashion show later and you can help me decide," Kurt said as he wiggled his eyebrows and grinned.
"Ooh, I daresay I think I've become much more interested in fashion shows all of a sudden."
"I thought you might," Kurt laughed. "Maybe you can return the favor. Surely, there are things in there that you could part with."
"Maybe. Just maybe," Adam teased. "Come over and eat." Adam served a simple tomato-based vegetable soup. After they'd eaten, Kurt washed the dishes while Adam dried them and put them away. They went back and plopped on the couch.
"I need to go down to the diner and tell Gunther that I won't be back, but I need to see if Santana will take my shifts first. I also need to talk to her about taking over my half of the loft. But I have to find some way to get her alone. I'm going to call her, but block the outgoing number. That way she won't know my number and share it."
"That's a good idea."
"Santana, this is Kurt. I need you to come meet me at the coffee shop across from the diner. I can meet you as soon as you can get there. Don't bring Rachel. See ya."
"I'm going to go meet her. You have my number if you need me. I be back in a few hours. I'll bring something for dinner back with me. Maybe you can sort through your clothes for my personal fashion show when I get back," Kurt teased.
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Kurt managed to keep an air of civility during his meeting with Santana. She hadn't been home long enough to notice that all of drawers were empty and his stuff was missing so she didn't come in blasting both barrels. She agreed to take over his part of the lease and she decided that she'd rather buy Kurt's furniture than to have him sell it off and buy furniture of her own from someone else. She knew Kurt's stuff was bedbug free.
He refused to answer any questions about why he had moved out. Santana went with him to the diner and after Kurt told Gunther that he was quitting, Santana offered to take all of Kurt's shifts that she could for the next two weeks. She needed the extra money to pay Kurt for the furniture.
Kurt left the diner and took the subway back home.
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He got there and realized that he didn't have a key to get in. He buzzed the apartment. Adam came right down. "I guess I need to give you my extra key, don't I?" Kurt took Adam's hand and they walked up the stairs hand in hand.
"So, how did your meeting with the dragon lady go?"
Kurt laughed at the epithet. He described his afternoon as he plated the Chinese food he had brought back with him. "Better than I had anticipated. She was in a gracious mood and was shockingly cooperative. She's taking over my half of the loft, buying my furniture and took all my shifts that she could for the next two weeks. I told Gunther that I quit. I know it will look bad that I didn't work there long and didn't give two weeks notice, but I don't plan on using Gunther as a reference when Isabelle and the foreman at my dad's shop would be much better references anyway."
Kurt took a look toward the bedroom and didn't see any clothes on the bed. "Did you decide against the fashion show?"
"Actually, I did sort my clothes, they're just on top of a box where you can't see them from where you're sitting. But it's been a long weekend and we need to get up early and get to NYADA before classes start so that you can talk to Madame Tibideaux, fill out a change of address form and make an appointment with the school psychologist. I thought we'd have a post-dinner massage, bath and a nice cuddle before going to sleep early."
"That sounds like a most excellent plan," Kurt said.
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The next morning arrived earlier than either of them cared for, but they got up and made their way to school, stopping along the way for a muffin and a cup of coffee. Kurt made an appointment for Thursday with the psychologist because the lab results would be back before then.
While waiting in Madame Tibideaux's reception area, he filled out the change of address paperwork he had been given. After about 15 minutes, he was summoned into Madame Tibideaux's office.
Their interaction began with the usual "What can I do for you today, Mr. Hummel?" that he heard any time he had been in her office.
"I'm honestly not quite sure how to deal with a personal issue, Madame Tibideaux."
"We have a psychologist on staff to help our students with their personal issues, Mr. Hummel."
"I am aware. I have an appointment on Thursday and I visited the legal aid office Saturday morning."
"Then what is it that you need from me exactly?"
"You are aware that I spent last week in Lima due to a family issue." She nodded. "Well, some things took place and Rachel and I are no longer on speaking terms. I realize that this is a personal problem and I will not let it affect me professionally here at school. But I just wanted you to be aware in case anything happens. I am not a rumor spreader, but you are aware of Rachel's persistence when she feels that she is right in a matter." She nodded again and smirked. "Yes, well I see that you remember. Anyway, I will not allow it to be a problem on my end. And I hope that she does the same. Thank you for your time, Madame Tibideaux."
"It has come to my attention that Miss Berry has accepted the role of Fanny Brice, so I am not at all certain that she will be continuing in her pursuit of a degree from this institution. Be that as it may, I will keep what you have said in mind, should any issues arise that involve you and Miss Berry. Thank you for stopping by, Mr. Hummel. I hope Dr. Mansfield is able to give you some insight into your personal issues."
"As do I. Thank you, Madame Tibideaux." Kurt rose from his chair and exited the office. Kurt went out into the hallway to find Adam.
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"Follow me." He led Adam to an empty classroom and moved in close to whisper in his ear. "Rachel got Fanny. Somehow Madame Tibideaux already knows and spoke of it as if it were common knowledge. I deleted all of my social media accounts. She probably posted it there and on the NYADA chat."
"That sounds like a disaster in the making. She's in no way ready for stardom."
"Oh, I know. But she would never listen to anyone who told her that. Let's go outside." Kurt and Adam left the building and walked down the street a ways before they started to speak again. "I'm glad I made the decision to leave when I did. She will be a nightmare to live with. The diva attitude she had on display back after the Showcase will pale in comparison to the attitude she will be sporting now that she got her dream role."
"I can only imagine."
"I'm not sure that you can actually. She literally believes herself to be the one who will carry on Barbra Streisand's legacy. I had to get permission from her to even sing a Streisand song at school if I didn't want to be the recipient of a massive tongue lashing from her."
"That's a bit much."
"For sure, but I'm going let this go for now because I don't want to be overheard even this far from campus. I don't actually have class until 11:00 today because my earlier morning class was cancelled. I got an email about an hour ago. I need to go put all of my work that was due last week into my professor's mail slots. The deal was that I had to turn everything in by 10:00 this morning. Let's head back and do that before I accidentally miss the deadline while gabbing on the sidewalk."
Kurt went inside, delivered all of his assignments to their correct slots, then went back out to Adam. "When is your first class?"
"Oh, it's at 10:00. Maybe we can just go work on our assignments in the library. My last class ends at 4:00, I'll go home right after that."
"My last class ends at 2:00 today. After that, I need to go to Vogue and at least check in with Isabelle to see what she has for me to do this week. I should get home about the same time as you, maybe a little later. I'll text you if I'm going to be later than 5:30. Let's head over to the library."
They spent the rest of their morning before their respective classes working on final projects or studying for upcoming exams. They both moved through their day attending all of their classes and rehearsals.
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Kurt left quickly after his last class and went to Isabelle's office. "I'm so sorry for the way I look. I came right after class. I just came by to see what you have for me to do this week." Isabelle explained the tasks that she needed for him to do that week.
He also told her about some of his recent changes, such as his address, that he had quit the diner and that he'd taken a different second job as a mechanic. She laughed thinking he was teasing. Then, quickly realized that he wasn't joking.
"Oh, I know. No one ever thinks that I'm actually a mechanic, but it's true and it pays better than the diner so I can work fewer hours total."
After arranging his work schedule for the week and stopping by his tiny office to collect some things he needed, he headed out.
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He made it home before 5:30 and found Adam in their kitchen prepping vegetables that would be part of their dinner.
"Do you need any help?" he asked.
"No, love. I've got it."
"Great, then I'm going to take a quick shower."
Kurt returned quickly wearing just his pajama pants.
"Well, I like that ensemble. It says, 'Please cuddle me.'"
Kurt just laughed at him. He moved and gave Adam a hug and then sat down at the table to eat with him.
They both actually had a lot of schoolwork to do and spent the evening doing that, but they did manage to get in quite a bit of cuddle time while reading school assignments.
Kurt realized that he didn't need the Ambien anymore. Sleeping in the same bed with Adam seemed to cure his insomnia, which was a huge relief. Sleeping unmedicated made him wake up much more refreshed as well. So, it was a win-win.
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The next day passed in a blur of classes and assignments. Kurt did manage to work several hours at Vogue and completed what Isabelle had asked him to do.
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On Wednesday, he finally got a call from the garage asking him to come in and work for two hours late Thursday afternoon as his first trial work day. He also got a call from the clinic stating that the only substances found on the drug test were consistent with his Ambien and Xanax usage.
Thursday loomed a little heavy on Kurt and Adam's minds after the call from the lab because they both thought that maybe what happened had some simple explanation – some weird drug interaction. But it didn't seem like that was the case.