A/N: Not much to say but, OMG LONGER CHAPTER! Hah Enjoy!
Blaine couldn't speak, he felt his chest tighten and his eyes water, but he just removed his glasses and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his right hand. Thea looked confused as Blaine placed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.
"Hi.." Blaine managed to whisper.
There was silence on the other end for a bit.
"How have you been?" Kurt asked warily.
"Why?" Blaine said quickly.
"What-"
"Why..after five years.. do you care how I'm doing.." Blaine said calmly. He could sense the anger building in him and from the look on Thea's face, she could too.
"I...I..." Kurt sighed. "I met Thea today at the theatre, because I wanted to see what plays were open for audition... We met, talked, and went to lunch..She told me about you.. and I thought..No.. That couldn't be my Blaine."
Blaine cringed at how casually he used the term 'my Blaine'.
"And then she called me so I could talk to you to make sure you were you, and well...here we are.."
Wait...he was in Ohio? In Lima for that matter? Kurt let out a small sigh and Blaine imagined him smiling that amazing smile of his. He quickly shook the thought.
"But why Kurt?" He shivered. He hadn't said that name in years. "Why do you choose now to contact me instead of when you left me.. you left me Kurt." Thea took this as her cue to leave and slowly stood, walking out of the room.
"I knew it would be too...painful.." Kurt whispered.
"Oh, and it wasn't when I woke up to an empty bed? When I searched everywhere looking for you? When I heard that voicemail and my heart broke and I did nothing but- I can't even believe I'm telling you all this.." Blaine sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, sighing deeply.
"Blaine...I.. It hurt me too, Blaine...I cried for months because of what I did.." Kurt said.
"So what was your excuse for disconnecting your phone, not returning my emails, and not even attempting to tell me if you were even alive?"
"I...I don't know Blaine." He said curtly.
Blaine sighed, leaning back into the couch, sinking down into the soft fabric.
"What was the point of this call?" Blaine snapped. He knew he was being rude, but he felt like he had a right to. Kurt dropped off the face of the planet for five years without even a goodbye.
"I just wanted to hear from you.." Kurt said in a small voice.
"But you wait five years to do it?"
There was a silence on the other line.
"Listen...," Kurt started, "If you want to... meet me at The Lima Bean at two tomorrow.."
"I have school tomorrow.." Blaine said bluntly.
"You go to college?" He asked.
"Well, I teach at McKinley.. I teach choir and glee club.." Blaine sighed. This shouldn't be so easy, making small talk with him. "Four would be better.."
"Okay." Kurt chimed. Blaine thought he sensed a bit of hope in Kurt's voice and he mentally scolded himself for even thinking that.
"See you then.." Blaine said quietly.
"Blaine?" Kurt said quietly.
"Yeah?" He replied.
"I...I...I'm glad I got to talk to you..." He finally said. "I'll see you tomorrow.."
"Bye Kurt..." Blaine said. He pulled the phone away from his ear and hit the end button before Kurt had a chance to say anything else. He sat there a moment, letting his head roll back onto the couch and staring at the ceiling.
"How'd it go?" Blaine heard Thea say as she walked into the room.
"I'm meeting up with him for coffee tomorrow.." Blaine sighed dragging his hands down his face and picking his head up to look at Thea.
"Well you two made up quick." She said smiling.
"Not necessarily." He said standing and reaching into his bag and pulling out his cigarettes. "Come smoke with me?" Blaine said pulling two out of the pack and holding one out to her.
"Of course.." She said plucking the cigarette from his fingers and placing it in between her lips.
A few minutes later they were sitting on the balcony smoking and Blaine just finished describing his situation with Kurt to Thea.
"I mean, it's been five years and I want to hate him so much... But, I still feel like I'm not over him yet..." Blaine said. He took a long drag of his cigarette.
"He's really special to you huh?" Thea said as she ashed over the tray they had on a small table.
"Was.." Blaine corrected, "And of course, I mean I lost my virginity to him, so of course he's gonna mean something to me."
"But there's a difference between losing it to someone," she took a drag, "and being in love with them.." she exhaled. "I would know." Blaine said nothing, his eyes just followed the wisps of smoke as his cigarette burned.
"He wouldn't like me smoking.." Blaine said dully, taking a drag.
"Are you gonna stop?" Thea asked, stubbing out her cigarette in the ashtray. She looked at Blaine meaningfully and leaned back against the balcony.
"I don't care what he thinks.." Blaine said, blowing smoke out smoothly. He was lying, and Thea could tell, but she chose to say nothing of it.
"He didn't care about me for five years so why should he care now?" Blaine sighed, putting out his cigarette. He felt the sting of tears gathering in his eyes.
"He's a good man Blaine...I can tell." Thea smoothed a strand of her ginger hair behind her ear and sighed.
Blaine looked out at the quiet Ohio evening. 'Man'.. Blaine never associated that word with Kurt, but the truth was, they weren't teenagers anymore. Blaine may have stopped growing at fourteen and Kurt may still have the voice of Ronnie Spector, but they were still men. Blaine was twenty-two and Kurt was twenty-one.
They were men.
The idea didn't sit right in Blaine's head considering the fact that Blaine still felt like a betrayed, broken seventeen year old boy when it came to Kurt.
"Thank you Thea.." Blaine said, hugging his best friend. She pulled him close, only a couple inches taller than him. She knew he needed this, to be held. He did. He didn't know when they came but tears were streaming down his cheeks. He wasn't choking or sobbing, only silent tears streamed down his cheeks, and silent gasps escaped his chapped lips. Thea buried her face in his hair shushing him and showering him with 'it's alright's and 'it'll be okay's.
Blaine woke up the next morning at five AM, his alarm screaming the unceasing buzzing that he detested. He had a pounding sensation in his head and he groaned as he sat up, Running his hand through his untamable curls. He stood up and shuffled out of his room. He saw Thea in the kitchen making coffee.
"Morning..." Blaine grumbled, plopping down at the kitchen table.
"Morning gorgeous.." She said giggling.
"Why are you awake?" Blaine said, looking through a stack of mail on the table.
"Early rehearsal. Honestly, you think these people would learn their lines by now, Into The Woods is not that hard.." She said yawning.
They sat at the table and drank coffee, chatting about this and that until Thea said, "Are you still gonna go get coffee with him?"
Blaine looked up and his smile faded. He knew exactly who she was talking about.
"I...I don't know.."
"Well you can't just leave the poor kid!" She knew this was a mistake as soon as she said it and she stiffened up noticeably. "I'm sorry Blaine.."
He cringed for a minute. 'I can't just leave him like he left me alone in an empty bed thinking I was going to wake up to see the boy I'm in love with..' He thought internally.
"It's fine." He said solemnly. He stood. "Come on, I need a cigarette."
School went just like any other day, slow and tiresome. Most of the people in his choir class were just kids trying to get an arts credit. Others tried too hard and reminded him of Rachel Berry.
Ugh..
Glee club was the only part of his day he really enjoyed. All the kids in there were really passionate about singing, and not just there to graduate. After all the kids left he turned from putting some sheet music in a folder to see Thea sitting on top of the piano.
Blaine gasped, jumping and dropping the folder. Thea bursted out laughing and slid off of the piano.
"Don't ever do that again!" He said angrily as he retrieved the folder. "How did you get in here anyway?"
"I told them I was your wife and they told me where to find you." She said sliding her sunglasses on her head. And walking over to him, enveloping him in a hug and walking to go sit in the risers.
"And they believed you?" He scoffed, placing the folder in a file cabinet.
"Well you aren't the most obvious thing in the world Mr. Anderson." She laughed. "Look at you...You look all teacher-ly."
"I am a teacher.." Blaine said chuckling and sitting down next to her.
"You gonna go see Kurt? It's already three-thirty." Thea asked scratching her arm.
"I have to change.." Blaine mumbled looking down at his clothes. He was wearing a white button-up shirt, dark blue tie, dark brown vest, black dress pants and black dress shoes.
"Shut up, you know you look good!" Thea said laughing and ruffling her roommate's curly hair.
"Let's go!" She said smiling and jumping up out of her chair. "Come on!" She giggled grabbing the shorter man's hand and yanking him out of the chair.
When they stepped outside Thea slipped on her sunglasses and held something out to Blaine.
"No.." Blaine said sternly.
"Take it.." Thea said seriously.
"Thea..."
"Take it."
"Thea, you can't be seriou-"
"Take. It.."
Blaine snatched what Thea had in her hand away and examined them carefully.
"I haven't worn these since I was eighteen.." Blaine said grimacing.
"I met you in them..THEY BROUGHT US TOGETHER BLAINE! WEAR THEM!" Thea said theatrically.
Blaine stared at Thea for a moment before slipping the pink sunglasses on his face.
"You look so pretty." Thea said smugly.
"Why am I wearing these?" He said laughing.
"Well now they'll never believe I'm your wife!" The said as they began walking to the parking lot.
Blaine smiled that big cheesy smile of his and walked up to his car.
"I just wanted to make sure you were still going, and to bring you those!" Thea said giggling as she unlocked the door to her car. "Call me when you're on your way home!"
"Will do!" Blaine said getting into his car.
About ten minutes later he pulled into the coffee shop and stepped out of his car. He hadn't been to the Lima Bean since Kurt left and a wave of familiar memories, sights, and smells came crashing over him as he stepped inside and put his pink sunglasses on top of his head to rest in his curls.
That's when he saw him. He was sitting at a table by the window and the bright summer sun flushed across his delicate frame. His hair was in a bit more elaborate coiffe than when he was sixteen. His legs were longer and he definitely wasn't a sixteen year old boy anymore. He was still dressed just as elegantly as Blaine remembered. Then he looked up at Blaine and the world seemed to halt. Those beautiful ocean eyes seemed to look directly into his soul and he felt himself falling all over again. When those plump, pearl pink lips spread into a smile Blaine had to brace himself on the counter to keep his legs from giving out. He beckoned for Blaine to come closer with a pale, delicate hand. Blaine felt like his legs were made of jelly as he made his way over to Kurt.
"Hey..." Kurt said, motioning for Blaine to sit down. Blaine quickly obliged. He felt like if he stood a second longer he would collapse into a heap on the floor.
"H-Howdy.." Blaine said. 'Howdy? What the hell?' Blaine thought to himself.
"Howdy?" Kurt said smiling and taking a sip of his latté.
"H-hey, hi, hey.." Blaine stuttered. What was so wrong with him that this man could turn him into a blubbering mess? Kurt just smiled knowingly and held out a cup to Blaine.
"Medium drip right?" Kurt said. Blaine could only give a goofy grin as he took the cup from Kurt.
"You remember my drink order.." Blaine said, holding the cup close.
"Of course I do." Kurt said smiling.
Blaine blushed to his scalp.
"So how've you been?" Kurt asked resting his chin in his hand.
That's when reality sank in for Blaine. They weren't sixteen, this wasn't everyday life. Kurt left him five years ago and left him broken and alone with no goodbye but an incomplete voicemail. The giddy school boy crush feeling he had only moments ago faded along with his smile. Kurt had hurt him. In fact "hurt" was an understatement. As he stared into Kurt's glasz eyes all he wanted to do was reach across the table and slap him. But then again he wanted to grab his face and taste those sweet lips at the same time.
"Great! Yeah, really good.." Blaine said a bit over-enthusiastically.
"Really?" Kurt said smiling
"Yeah, yeah, I moved to California for a bit...got engaged..you know.." Blaine said biting his lip.
"Engaged?" Kurt said, his smile fading a bit
"Well just for a bit, but some...complications arose.." Blaine sighed, shrugging.
"Complications?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.
"So what about you?" Blaine said ignoring Kurt's question.
Kurt looked over Blaine once before crossing his legs and sipping his drink.
"Well when I graduated, I moved to New York with my boyfriend," Blaine cringed internally. "which didn't work out after a while so we broke up, I got an apartment and went to NYU for fashion design and marketing.. Met a couple guys, got in some bad break ups, the worst of which, Paul, got me here.." Kurt said giving a somewhat bitter smile.
'Paul? What a stupid name, who would date a guy named Paul?' Blaine thought to himself.
"What happened with Paul?" Blaine asked.
"Well, he left me for a lawyer...named Christina." Kurt said shivering a bit. Blaine tried to suppress his laughter, but a tiny smirk escaped his front.
"Is something funny?" Kurt asked.
"No no!" Blaine said chuckling a bit. "I just can't fathom why someone would leave /you/ for a woman..." Blaine said smiling.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Kurt said, his cheeks growing red.
"Nothing! Nothing at all.." Blaine said smiling and sipping his coffee.
"And exactly what 'complications' caused you to leave your fiancé?" Kurt asked a bit bitterly.
Blaine shrugged, "Well he was a cheating bastard and he broke my heart so I kicked him out of my house." He simply smiled at Kurt and tilted his head a bit.
"Oh god..I'm sorry Blaine. "Kurt said placing a hand on his chest. Blaine looked at Kurt and saw his genuine concern.
Blaine was silent for a moment."...No, I'm sorry..I'm being spiteful and sardonic..and.. I'm sorry." Blaine said locking eyes with Kurt.
They were silent after that but it wasn't the comfortable silence they were used to, it was the uncomfortable I-don't-know-what-to-say-to-you silence.
"I missed you." Kurt said seriously. Blaine looked up at him through dark lashes and sighed.
Blaine looked down at his cup, wrapping his fingers around it tightly.
"Come with me." Kurt said standing. Blaine said nothing and stood as well, noticing for the first time just how much taller Kurt had gotten. There was still not that much of a height difference, but it was noticeable. They walked to Kurt's car, a black mustang, and drove for a while, having generic chats about how things have been in their lives. Short conversations separated by semi-awkward silences. He reached for his cigarettes a couple of times, but as much as he hated to admit it, he still cared what Kurt thought of him. They drove until it got dark and Kurt stopped the car on the side of a dirt road and looked over at Blaine.
"Okay now close your eyes and no peeking.." Kurt said smiling that heart melting smile of his. Blaine smiled and closed his eyes. He heard Kurt get out and walk around to Blaine's side and open the door. He decided to humor Kurt and reached blindly out for something to grasp on to so he could step out of the car. In an instant, he felt Kurt's hand clasp around his and he felt his heart skip a beat as the soft, thin, delicate fingers laced with his. Blaine knew where they were. He knew as soon as Kurt took the right by the wooden fence. Kurt guided Blaine as he kept his eyes closed. He didn't know if he could handle being here. He hadn't come since that night.
"I really hope I'm going the right way." Kurt laughed. Blaine laughed as well. He opened his eyes to see the pale figure dancing through the moon beams and slinking through the trees ahead of him. He looked back at Blaine and a smile stretched across his face. He stopped walking and put his free hand on his hip.
"I thought I told you no peeking.." Kurt said smiling.
"Okay okay.." Blaine chuckled lightly, nervous as he closed his eyes again.
They walked for a while until Blaine felt the ground even out beneath his feet. Kurt let go of Blaine's hand. Blaine frowned a bit at the loss of contact and opened his eyes. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at Kurt, looking just as beautiful as he did that night all those years ago.
"Remember this place?' Kurt asked, looking around.
"Yes...I.." Blaine felt himself start to tear up. "Kurt I don't..I can't do this, please take me back to the coffee shop..please." He pleaded. He couldn't be here. The memory of that night was too much.
"Blaine.." Kurt whispered, grabbing Blaine's hand as he turned to leave, but Blaine quickly pulled it away, causing Kurt to recoil, taking a few steps back.
"Why did you bring me here?" Blaine asked. "You know what this place means to me..You know..". He turned around, not wanting Kurt to see the tears.
He felt Kurt grab him again."I'm sorry..I'm so sorry Blaine.." The taller man whispered. Blaine jerked away again and Kurt looked down.
"Take me back.." Blaine said, still refusing to look at Kurt.
"I just thought-"
"Take me back...please.."
Kurt sighed, starting to walk back to the car as Blaine led the way, still refusing to let Kurt see him cry. They drove back to the coffee shop and Blaine quickly got out of the car, slamming the door behind him and walked to his car without a goodbye.
He sped back to the apartment with tears in his eyes. He was so stupid, why would he go in the first place? Kurt knew what he did to Blaine, how he made him feel. He just expected to waltz back into Blaine's life? Blaine was stronger now. He thought he was. He didn't know if he was..
Was he?
A/N: Oh No! What should Blaine do! Find out next chapter! Until then my dear readers! *Klisses!*
