Denial
This was the first of their weekly coffee meetings since it happened. Eliott had not actually seen Kurt since he and Blaine had broken up, his offers to come over denied. Apparently work was very busy at the moment, taking up a lot of Kurt's time. So, against his better judgement, Eliott had to wait until their meeting at the quaint coffee shop around the corner from his apartment.
They did this every Thursday at one o'clock. It was their way of keeping in touch after everyone else left the city.
After 10 minutes of waiting, Kurt's tall figure swept in through the door and settled into the seat opposite Eliott. Examining the other man's face, the dark-haired male noted the tired eyes and slight pained expression the other was trying to hide behind his usual bright smile.
"Hey, Eliott! Sorry I'm a little late, Isabelle wanted me to run a few ideas by her and then we just got caught up talking about an article going out next Tuesday!" He let out a small sigh, but didn't seem to relax into the seat as he did in all the previous meetings.
"Hey! It's fine, don't worry about it." He smiled gently back at the caramel haired man. "Shall we get our drinks?" At that, the pair stood and joined the small queue. They knew that there were no chances of losing their table. This place was just a small privately owned place that make cinnamon lattés that Eliott cannot help but obsess over.
"So, how have you been?" Eliott asked when they sat down with their steaming drinks a few minutes later.
"Oh, I've been fine. Work's been busy what with all the deadlines coming up for the autumn collections and the page has been chaotic. We've had a change in the format, and it's just seemed to mess with everything!" The younger chattered on. "Other than that, I suppose everything's been pretty normal." Eliott raised his eyebrow.
"Are you sure you're alright? You did just break up with -"
"I'm fine!" Kurt snapped, cutting the dark-haired man off. Eliott's worry just grew. It was obvious to him that Kurt was definitely not okay and it seemed that work was providing the perfect opportunity to avoid the situation entirely for now. So the older male decided to step in – it was his duty as the other's closest friend left in the city, and he knew that if Santana or Rachel were here they would fully support the idea.
He let Kurt steer the conversation away from anything to do with Blaine and his health, and the pair discussed the fashion choices of their favourite celebs and what they thought of various different new songs and albums. The closest they got to the taboo topic of Kurt's last relationship was when Eliott asked after their friends, most of whom had returned to Ohio. He had tried to maintain contact with them, but he was always terrible at it and so often relied on Kurt to give him any news.
Soon, their hour meeting had passed. Eliott had to get to work, and knew that Kurt was hoping to return to a project he'd been pouring all his energy (well, what was left after work anyway) into as of late.
"I'll see you next Thursday?" Kurt voiced as he pulled on the over-sized grey shirt that had been acting as a jacket in the warmer weather the city had been blessed with.
Eliott took this as his time to act. "Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to come over on Saturday night? Have a glass of wine, watch a few films? Just like we used to when the girls were still here!"
Kurt paused, before giving the other a grin that almost seemed fully, genuinely happy. "Sure, that would be great." He then walked out the door with a wave, leaving Eliott to his thoughts.
Operation Happy Hummel was in motion!
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The doorbell rung at exactly 8pm, and Eliott found himself running to answer it in excitement. Since everyone else had left, the remaining pair hadn't done anything like this, and despite the reason for him planning this, he had been counting down the days until Saturday (Luckily he only had to wait 2 days!).
Eliott had made sure to set out a selection of musicals and rom-coms – they were simultaneously Kurt's favourite and the best films to watch when recovering from a bad break-up. He had also bought several bottles of red, white and rosé wine. And chocolate. Chocolate is an everyday necessity. To off-set the unhealthy selection of foods (and to fulfil Kurt's obsession with healthy living) he had made a salad with grilled chicken. The dark-haired man had wanted pizza, but he had a feeling that Kurt wouldn't have forgiven him had he ordered some.
Opening the door, he lept into the arms of the other in a hug, drawing a startled laugh from him. Pulling back, he flashed a grin at Kurt. "Sorry! I'm just really excited. We've not done a movie night in months!" He then wrapped his hand around the younger man's wrist and pulled him to the sofa. "I made chicken salad, and have a lot of wine." He poured a glass of white wine and pressed it into the man's hand. "Drink up!"
Kurt chuckled again, but didn't complain. He just sipped at the alcohol and, upon its presentation, helped himself to the salad as he reclined against the arm of the sofa. Eliott placed himself next to him, also against the arm so that they were sat cross-legged and facing each other. After a moment, he spoke up again.
"Sorry about that! Believe it or not, I was hoping tonight would be calm and relaxing!" He laughed at himself.
"It's fine, honestly." The fashionista reassured him with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. Most of his smiles were like that lately it seemed. That thought got Eliott back on track. This night was about Kurt relaxing and accepting that he was hurting.
A salad and three glasses of wine each later, the pair were definitely starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.
"So," Eliott started, feeling that half-way through Man Up (whilst trying not to send too many heart eyes at Simon Pegg on screen) would be the best time to approach the subject of Kurt's emotional health. His vocalisation caused said man to pull his gaze from the screen and onto his face questioningly. "Are you really okay?"
At the query, Kurt huffed and turned to the television again, stubbornly staring at the box. "Shush! I don't want to miss the film." Rolling his eyes, Eliott just picked up the remote on the coffee table and pressed pause.
"There! Problem solved." At Kurt's glare, his frustration softened into concern. "Please, Kurt? You've not said a word about what happened with Blaine. It's not healthy to do this to yourself!"
It seemed that this was what finally prompted a reaction from Kurt: "It's better than feeling all the sadness and the pain! He was my first for so many things, and now he's gone!" A few tears escaped, and he swiped them of his cheeks aggressively. "Now look at me! Crying pathetically over a guy who just upped and left!"
"Kurt, you're allowed to be sad – it's healthy. As you said, he was your first and you guys loved each other. You probably still do love him, that's why it hurts. But if you don't let yourself hurt, you won't ever get over him. You should be able to move on. He will, and that's difficult. Don't let yourself get left behind though. You're too awesome, too fabulous to get hung up on a guy who turned you down! Even if it is Blaine."
It seemed that his speech hit something in Kurt, for as soon as he finished talking the other fell onto his shoulder and sobbed. The pair lay there with each other on that sofa for a good hour or so, Eliott just stroking his hair and reassuring Kurt that it was okay to feel sad. That sadness allows one to feel the happy moments too. And that he will be happy again, in time.
So here's chapter one of five, Denial. Hope that you enjoyed it and the rest of the fic! :)
