A/N : So here we have the final - and longest - installment. I probably could have made it longer, because originally I wanted to go into a little more detail with certain parts of it, but, it's been plaguing my mind for months now, and I've finally gotten it to a place where I can call it finished, so while it didn't turn out the way it did in my head - like nothing ever does - I'm happy with it. So, enjoy. :)
As usual, I own nothing.
3. Always
It was later than usual when Kurt finally left his poorly paying waiting job at the restaurant, as thanks to Xavier being an hour late to his shift; Kurt was made to stay on for him. Normally, Kurt would welcome the extra hours pay - despite it only being a few dollars – but tonight, all he wanted was to get home. He'd already had to cancel his original plans to pick up an extra shift that night anyway, because without it, he would be down on his rent, again. And he refused to let Rachel pay it for him, mainly because he knew she – with the best of intentions of course – would hold it against him for the rest of their lives together.
Kurt sighed, running a hand through his hair as he pulled his bag from his locker, letting it fall gently to the floor as he unhooked his jacket from the locker door, shrugging it on as the door flew open, and an out of breath blond blustered into the room, pulling off his baseball cap and hoodie and throwing it into the nearest empty locker, looking up to lock eyes with Kurt as he reached up onto the top of the lockers, pulling down an apron.
"Hey, thanks for covering for me, man," he told him, hastily tugging on his apron as he spoke; Kurt nodded and picked up his bag, shrugging it onto his shoulder.
"Sure, cause that's only the third time this week," Kurt reminded him, Xavier lifted his gaze -although Kurt was a little sure just how well he could see through the sweep of blond hair that covered his eyes - to send him a sheepish smile.
"Sorry, man. I owe you, big time," he told him, patting him on the shoulder before rushing out of the door and heading to clock in. Kurt simply shook his head, sighing gently before grabbing the door before it swung shut, and turning for the exit, just finally glad to be away from the smell of food, which - surprisingly – being around it all day, did nothing but make you lose your appetite.
Kurt stepped out into the cool air, exhaling peacefully as he pulled out his phone, flipping it open as he walked to find two new messages. One from Rachel, which he was positive would just be telling him to pick her up some herbal tea or something to 'preserve her voice' as she put it, so he decided to ignore it. And the other from Daniel, which he quite happily chose to open.
Kurt and Daniel had been together for almost six months prior, and quite honestly, Kurt loved him, he couldn't deny that. Daniel was the first guy since high school that he found himself able to open up to. He was the first person that he let in, that he let love him, and that he loved in return. Their relationship was laid back, and easy. Easier that Kurt had expected. He and Daniel were different, in a number of ways. While he appreciated it, Daniel did not hold the same love and devotion that Kurt did for music, literature and Broadway. Kurt longed to travel the world, see everything it had to offer, whereas Daniel, was happy in his little apartment in New York. Kurt strived for a career either or Broadway, or in Fashion. Daniel, was happy working at a nearby clothing store.
Although the one thing they did have majorly in common was their love of fashion, in fact it was that that brought them together. Well, almost. Daniel wasn't as well informed when it came to the actual designers themselves, while Kurt could probably tell you their life story. But they both knew a good suit when they saw one. And it was coincidentally at the store Daniel worked – as a junior manager, nonetheless – that they met, their eyes meeting over a pile of cashmere sweaters. And then a brief conversation on clothes, turned into a coffee, which turned text messages, which turned into dinner, which turned into regular dates and late night phone calls, which finally progressed into a relationship, which much to his surprise, Kurt had found himself settling into rather easily.
Kurt was no longer the type of person that planned his future around his relationships, and he was nowhere near certain that Daniel was going to be the one, but right now, despite his crappy job at an awfully overpriced restaurant, he was happy, and right now that was good enough.
Which is how he found himself grinning widely at the message on his screen, and quickly turning back the way he had came, his plans subconsciously changing for the night.
'I know you have to work tonight, so date night is no longer an option, but you could come over after… if you fancy it? ;) '
Kurt woke to the gentle tickle of fingertips trailing slowly up and down his spine and smiled, moaning softly into his pillow. A low chuckle rang out from behind him, and he turned his head, blinking quickly as he adjusted to the bright light, before his eyes found the source of the chuckle and locked onto Daniel, who was propped up onto his elbow on the pillow beside him, his dark head of, slightly wavy, tousled hair pushed back out of his face as he grinned down at him, his fingers moving from Kurt's spine to his hip.
"Good morning to you too," he smirked, Kurt smiled and rolled onto his side so they were facing properly, grabbing the hand that was rubbing gentle circles on his hip and toying gently with his fingers.
"I have to admit, I could get used to waking up like that," he told him. "And I could certainly do with a repeat of last night next time I have a late shift at work. You can be quite the stress reliever when you want to be," he added raising an eyebrow suggestively. Daniel smirked at him, pulling his hand free and setting it on the pillow the other side of Kurt's head, leaning over him for a moment before ducking his head to lock their lips together.
"Well, you can have a repeat of it right now if you want," he muttered seductively in between kisses. "My treat," Kurt smiled, turning his head to look at the clock just as Daniel ducked in for another kiss, but instead of complaining when his lips met Kurt's cheek, he simply continued to work his way down towards the base of Kurt's neck.
"I have to get to work," Kurt told him after a glance at the clock. But Daniel simply ignored him, nipping gently at the skin near Kurt's collarbone with his teeth, causing Kurt to let out a soft groan, his hips involuntarily bucking upwards slightly as his hands trailed down his boyfriend's bare back. "Dan, we can't," he whispered. "I have to go,"
"They won't mind you being a little late, especially after all that overtime you do," Daniel replied as lips met lips again, his hands drifting down to where Kurt's boxers hung low on his hips, gently stroking his fingers along the waistband as Kurt moaned softly again.
"Don't do this to me,"
"You know you want it," Daniel breathed, his lips moving down past Kurt's jaw once more.
"And you know I can't. Not now. I really have to go," Kurt told him, but that didn't stop him from pulling him closer, gasping as Daniel found the weak spot at the base of his throat and letting his fingers tangle themselves in Daniel's hair.
"Just five more minutes," Daniel promised, and with another gentle moan, Kurt succumbed, pulling him up into another kiss.
"I swear if you've made me late-." Kurt growled into the phone as he hurried down the street, Daniel chuckled from the other end of the line.
"Oh stop worrying, you left in plenty of time, and besides, you know you loved it," he finished in a low seductive tone that automatically had Kurt glancing around anxiously, despite the fact that no one – unless they had supersonic hearing - would have heard it.
"That is not the point!" he hissed, Daniel chuckled again.
"Just relax, you'll be there on time, and I'll see you tonight, okay?" Kurt let out a sigh, his pace slowing slightly.
"Alright,"
"Good, now don't work too hard. I love you,"
"You too," Kurt replied and slid his phone shut, disconnecting the call. He exhaled loudly, squeezing his eyes shut for the briefest moment just as he turned onto the street, coming into view of the restaurant, his pace slowing even more as he did so, trying to buy himself just that extra few minutes.
He ducked his head, fumbling around in his bag to put away his cell, and check he had his name tag and the remainder of his uniform that he'd not bothered to put on in his rush to get out on time. But just as he made to stop and turn to open the door, knowing he had reached the entrance, he collided with something, or rather someone, coming from the opposite direction.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry are you-." The man stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as they met with Kurt's as Kurt himself took in a sharp intake of breath, his heart leaping out of his chest. There was a long pause as they stood, in shock, just watching each other, before the man finally breathed out one word. "Kurt?"
Kurt swallowed; there was no way this was happening. It wasn't possible, was it?
"B-Blaine?"
Blaine Anderson had changed very little since high school; the only real difference was that his hair was a little longer and unkempt. No longer forced onto his head with tub-fulls of gel, and the face that had once been clean shaven, now sported some - rather attractive - stubble, and if Kurt was being really nit-picky, then he would swear that Blaine had grown a few inches, but he wasn't supposed to notice things like that… not anymore.
"U-uhm… Hi," Blaine stammered, an embarrassed smile crossing his face and he reached up to rub the back of his neck, Kurt just stood in shock, clueless on what to say or do, while desperately trying to ignore the tiny voice in the back of his mind screaming at him that he was late for work.
"H-Hi," he finally choked out, Blaine let out a small smile, which Kurt tried to force himself to return, although he wasn't sure it had worked, because the only thing he could thing about was the feeling as though he was about to vomit. There was another long bout of silence, before Kurt finally spoke up, his tone coming out way louder and more rushed than he intended. "I-. I have to go. I… work!" he squeaked out, gesturing above to the restaurant sign, and leaning in towards the door slightly. Blaine nodded, biting his lip.
"Right, sure," he was still nodding, and with one final nervous glance, Kurt made to turn into the safety of the restaurant. "Kurt, wait," Kurt was sure he had injured himself with the force he flung himself back around with. "Uhh, could we maybe, grab a coffee or something later… catch up?" Blaine asked shifting nervously from one foot to the other. The sick feeling in Kurt's stomach increased, and he quickly tried to swallow it back.
"Yeah, sure," Kurt breathed out, "My lunch break is at one… meet me here?" he suggested, Blaine nodded quickly, and with one final half-smile, he turned and hurried away, leaving Kurt stood alone. But the one thing Kurt didn't miss was the glance Blaine threw back to him before he turned the corner, allowing the tonne weight that had been crushing Kurt's chest to lift as he breathed out a sigh of relief before turning into the restaurant, no longer caring about his punctuality. There was only one thing on his mind now. Blaine.
The first half of Kurt's shift dragged horrendously, and it didn't help that he was constantly screwing things up. He'd dropped plates, put in wrong orders, forgotten drinks, short-changed people, had numerous customer complaints and almost tripped and fallen over the bucket of soapy water that propped open the door to the crew room. All in all, today wasn't looking good and the further through the shift he got, the worse the sickening feeling in his stomach got, and when the time finally came for him to get his break, he was about ready for the floor to just open up swallow him whole.
He quickly pulled off his apron, tossing it into his locker as he grabbed his bag and his jacket, trying to stop his eyes from darting to look at the clock every two seconds. Ten minutes. He let out a gentle groan, swallowing away the sick feeling and trying to ignore the way his hands were shaking as he headed towards the toilets, where he leaned back against the wall with a sigh, trying to clear his mind of all things Blaine, something that he had been unsuccessful of all day so far.
Eventually he let his eyes flutter open, turning to lean over the sink, forcing himself to look at his pale sallow appearance in the mirror in front of him. He groaned pushing his hair back as he bit the insides of his cheeks, hoping that it would somehow force some color into his cheeks, he did not want to see him looking like this. Kurt paused, his eyes locking with the ones from his reflection as he realized he shouldn't think like that, not anymore. It wasn't about impressing him anymore. It was just two old friends, catching up.
At least that was what Kurt had to force himself to believe.
Kurt paused as he reached the restaurant exit, his hand frozen around the door handle. What if it wasn't real? What if he had finally snapped and dreamed it all? Or what if Blaine hadn't been serious, what if it was all some humiliating game? He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing back the thoughts, this was Blaine, he wouldn't do anything like that to Kurt… ever.
After one final deep breath, Kurt pulled open the door, stepping out into the cool air, trying desperately to push away the sick feeling in his stomach as he discretely scanned the sidewalk. But then just as he turned out of the restaurant exit, his eyes fell onto Blaine's form, leaning against the wall, and any ill feelings or nerves he had disappeared as Blaine's eyes lifted to meet his and for the briefest moment, Kurt forgot how to breathe.
"Hi," Blaine greeted with a smile.
"Hi," Kurt breathed back, trying his best to bite back his smile. He was not supposed to be acting like an infatuated teenage girl around their favorite pop star… not anymore.
"So um… there's a little coffee shop around the corner," Blaine suggested. "It's no Lima Bean, but I figured…" he trailed off, shrugging gently. Kurt smiled, letting the memories of their many coffee dates – and non-dates – flood through his head.
"Sounds great," he replied, and Blaine lifted his head to smile at him again, before the two started down the street.
Their walk was spent in silence, and Kurt tried his best not to speculate about why it still seemed so comfortable for them to be around each other, even when they weren't speaking. The warmth of the coffee shop engulfed them and Blaine gestured for Kurt to grab a table before heading to the counter, not bothering to ask his order, but when he returned a few moments later with a non-fat mocha, Kurt couldn't help himself from smiling widely - he still remembered - and silently praising himself for never bothering to change his coffee order.
They stayed in their silence for a little longer, before Blaine finally sat back in his seat and let his eyes lock with Kurt's opening his mouth to speak.
"So, you're working at a restaurant?" he asked, Kurt forced himself not to laugh at how awkward the question sounded.
"For now," he replied. "It pays the bills," he added, "You'll still be seeing my name in Vogue one day, he threw on as an afterthought, and in an attempt to make Blaine laugh, which, much to his glee he achieved. "W-What about you?" he asked after a brief pause. "I figured… California…" he drifted off, not wanting to pry too much, although he couldn't stop himself from wondering.
"No, I um… I just moved here actually," Blaine replied, dropping his eyes to the coffee cup in front of him seeming almost embarrassed about the fact.
"Oh?" Kurt tried to push away the tiny glimmer of hope in his tone.
"Yeah, I mean, Cali was great but uh… it's nice being closer to home, and… well I figured there's more chance of me getting a job over here," he shrugged, his eyes still not meeting with Kurt's as he ran his thumb around the rim of his cup. "I'm uhm, waiting tables at a coffee house right now. And playing the odd set on an evening," he added.
"You're still into music?" Kurt asked, and Blaine's eyes finally lifted to meet Kurt's, his eyebrows rising in what seemed like amusement as he replied.
"You're not?" he asked, with a small smile. Kurt chuckled, not bothering to answer; they both knew there was no way either of them would have ever given up on some form of music career. There was a brief silence before Kurt opened his mouth to speak again, only to be cut off by someone calling his name from across the room. Both boys turned, and Kurt's jaw dropped slightly as he saw Daniel crossing the room towards them.
"D-Daniel," Kurt squeaked out, as he reached their table, Daniel simply smiled, dropping his head to press a kiss to Kurt's cheek, instantly leaving Kurt feeling awkward.
"Hey," he breathed.
"Um, Daniel, this is Blaine, he's uh, an old high school friend" Kurt introduced, avoiding Blaine's eyes. "Blaine, this is Daniel… my, boyfriend," he added, muffling the last word ever so slightly as he risked a peek at Blaine's expression, which seemed perfectly calm.
"Nice to meet you," Blaine smiled, his tone seeming sincere. He held out his hand and after a brief pause Daniel smiled back, and reached over to shake it.
"You too," he replied. "I'd say I've heard a lot about you, but, Kurt doesn't really mention his old friends a lot," he added, Blaine's smiled faltered for the briefest moment.
"Well, we lost touch for a while," he shrugged; Daniel simply nodded before turning to Kurt.
"I should probably get going. Lydia'll get mad at me if I don't get her coffee to her soon," he smiled, leaning over to kiss Kurt's cheek again. "I'll see you tonight?" he asked, Kurt nodded, and he turned to walk away, only to stop a few feet away and turn back. "Oh, and I hope you weren't too late this morning," he added with a wink, which caused Kurt to flush red, dropping his gaze to the mocha in front of him as Daniel headed out of the shop.
Silence clung to the air around them for what seemed like the longest minute of Kurt's life, before Blaine finally cleared his throat and spoke up. His tone not giving anything away and Kurt hated it. He had always been able to read Blaine like a book, but obviously that was one of the many things that had changed in five years.
"He uh… he seems nice," he commented.
"Yeah. Yeah, he is…" Kurt replied quietly, refusing to meet Blaine's eyes. There was another moment of silence before his name was uttered quietly from across the table.
"Are you happy?" Blaine asked and Kurt finally looked up, his eyes locking on Blaine's, and for a moment, he was sure he saw a flash of pain. Kurt hesitated for a moment, before nodding slowly.
"Y-Yeah, I am," Blaine swallowed.
"Then I'm happy for you," he told him, smiling gently at him, Kurt returned it briefly, pausing again before asking his next question, unsure of whether he actually wanted to know the answer or not.
"Did… Have you…" he trailed off, but Blaine seemed to know what he was getting at, and answered anyway.
"A few guys, here and there. Nothing remotely serious, but uh… no, not really," he replied and Kurt tried to stop his stomach from twisting at the words 'a few guys' and then twisting again – in a completely different way – at 'no, not really,'. He wasn't supposed to think like this anymore.
He nodded slowly, refraining from telling Blaine that someone was just around the corner and that he would find someone eventually. Because he knew Blaine, and he was sure that even five years wouldn't have changed the fact that there was no way he would want to hear it.
Kurt had expected his coffee with Blaine to be a fleeting thing, something that came and went in a matter of moments, and left him wondering whether it was actually real or not. But much to his relief, it had been the exact opposite.
It was later that day when Blaine called him, and it was two days later when they met for lunch. And that lunch quickly turned into frequent coffee meetings, movie trips, dinners and regular phone calls that left Kurt feeling like he was a teenager again. And in between all of that - and work - Kurt found he had little time for anything – or anyone - else.
Kurt was not supposed to still have feelings for Blaine. Or at least, that was what he had been convincing himself, but the more time they spent together, the harder things were getting. Kurt loved Blaine. He always had. But his life was different now, and he couldn't keep spending his time trying to rekindle his high school relationship, especially when he was already supposed to be in one… or rather that was what Rachel kept telling him.
"How is Rachel?" Blaine asked as the two of them stepped out of the movie theatre. "I ran into her the other day but she ran off before we really got the chance to talk, something about work…" he trailed off with a shrug.
"She would have been going to rehearsal," Kurt explained, "she landed a part in a new musical opening on Broadway next month," he added with a smile, Blaine raised his eyebrows.
"Wow, really?" he asked rhetorically, clearly impressed. "I guess some dreams really do come true," he added quietly, Kurt nodded, glancing at him from the corner of his eye as silence fell around them as they wandered through the cool night air, trying to push away feelings he was well aware he probably shouldn't have, even if it was only to get Rachel's warning voice from his head.
"She keeps asking after you," Kurt announced after a while, resuming their previous conversation. "You should come over sometime," he suggested, Blaine smiled, humming a response, his mind clearly elsewhere.
Silence fell over them again, and moments later butterflies erupted involuntarily through Kurt's stomach as their hands brushed against each other, which Blaine took as a cue to take his hand, linking their fingers together and causing Kurt's heart to leap up to his throat. Kurt hesitated for a moment, reveling in the warmth and comfort of their joined hands, before mashing his lips together into a thin line and stopping, pulling his hand free, forcing Blaine to turn around as he did so.
Blaine bit his lip, ducking his head as his hand swung awkwardly to his side.
"Sorry," he muttered, running a hand through his hair, dropping his gaze to the ground. Kurt shook his head, despite the fact that Blaine wasn't looking to have seen it.
"It's fine," he murmured in response.
"No, I shouldn-."
"Blaine," Kurt cut in, Blaine finally looked up, his expression apologetic. "It's fine," Kurt assured him, and Blaine smiled gently, which Kurt returned, as he tried to push his erratic heart back to it's rightful place gesturing ahead and beginning to walk again, Blaine quickly turning to follow behind.
Yes, denying his feelings for Blaine was difficult, especially when Blaine made a habit of letting his show. And the more time the two spent together, the more times Blaine would slip up – and then apologize profusely afterwards – not that Kurt really cared - although it was beginning to look less and less accidental. But the more time the two spent together – denying their feelings – the less time Kurt was spending with Daniel, who - despite their good start – wasn't particularly fond of Blaine… at all.
"So, I have the day off, and I'm thinking I take you shopping, then we go for lunch," Daniel suggested, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist as he fixed his hair in the mirror. Kurt groaned.
"Can't, I'm working today," he replied, Daniel sighed, standing upright and moving back to lean against the wall.
"How about after work?" Kurt bit his lip, letting his hand drop to his side as he turned away from the mirror and spoke.
"I promised Blaine we'd hang out," he replied apologetically, Daniel sighed, rolling his eyes at the mention of Blaine's name.
"Of course you did," he muttered sourly.
"Don't be like this-."
"Why not?" he demanded "Ever since he showed up, we've hardly spent any time together!" he exclaimed
"That's not tr-."
"Isn't it?" he interrupted again. "We haven't gone out in weeks, and every time you come over, all you ever want to do is sleep! If you're not a work, then you're spending time with him and I never see you anymore!"
"Da-."
"At first, I let it go. I was glad that you had a friend other than Rachel. But now… well, I'm not so sure if friendship is the right word anymore," he finished in a mutter, his tone accusatory. Kurt frowned.
"What are you talking-."
"I'm talking about the fact that you're in love with him!" Daniel exclaimed, Kurt flinched, his eyes widening. "And don't deny it," he added in a low tone. "I've always known you didn't love me as much as I loved you, but until I saw the two of you together, I could never work out why," he finished in a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, avoiding Kurt's eyes when they re-opened. "And I tried, Kurt. I did. But, lets be honest here, it was over between us the minute he walked back into your life,"
"Dan, No. That's not true,"
"Isn't it?" he asked, "Kurt, even a blind man could see how in love with him you are!" he exclaimed, Kurt swallowed hard, pausing for a moment before whispering the words 'I'm sorry', not knowing what else to say. Daniel sighed.
"I know you are,"
"And I do love you-." Kurt rushed, but Daniel cut him off once more.
"But you love him more," he concluded in a mutter, squeezing his eyes shut again. "It's fine. I get it. We um… I hope you're happy together,"
"Dan, no. It's not-."
"Don't, Kurt. J-. Just don't," Daniel pleaded, turning away from him. Kurt bit his lip, pausing unsurely for a moment, before turning out of the apartment and heading for the street, letting his emotions consume him.
"Hey," Kurt jumped slightly as he felt a warm hand cover his own, pulling him from his thoughts. He glanced down at it for a moment before lifting his eyes to meet the concern that shone in Blaine's. "Are you okay?" Blaine asked. "You've been kinda quiet," he commented. Kurt paused, glancing back at their hands for a moment before slowly beginning to pull his away. Blaine noticed his movement and quickly moved his hand back, letting it fall back to pick up his fork again as he mumbled a quick 'sorry'. Kurt shook his head, folding his own hands into his lap.
"I'm fine. Just tired," he replied shortly.
Blaine frowned for a moment, biting his lip, and Kurt knew he hadn't believed him, but much to his relief, Blaine let it drop and simply pushed himself away from the table, pulling out his wallet and dropping a few bills onto the table as he asked "Can I walk you home?" Kurt smiled gratefully and nodded, following him out of the door and into the cool air.
The majority of their walk was spent in silence, which Kurt was extremely grateful for. He really wasn't up for talking about anything right now, especially to Blaine, but at the same time, it was nice to just be in his company. But just before they were about to part ways, Blaine finally spoke again, stopping and turning to face him, forcing Kurt to stop himself and turn back.
"Kurt. Look, I-. I don't want to, over step, or anything, but I…" he paused, letting out a short puff of air before continuing. "You remember what I said about moving?" he asked, Kurt nodded, frowning slightly, unsure of where this was going. "Well, it was partly true, there are more opportunities over here, and it is closer to home, but honestly," Blaine paused again, "I did it because I was hoping you'd still be here, and by some miracle, I'd find you again," he told him, his eyes not once meeting with Kurt's. Kurt bit his lip, trying to ignore his butterflies. "I never gave up on you, Kurt," Blaine told him, Kurt's stomach somersaulted.
"Bla-."
"I just. I need you to know, okay?" Blaine cut him off before he could even begin to speak, and then he sighed again. "But you have Daniel," he continued quietly, and for a moment, Kurt thought he had forgotten he was there. "And I get that, and the last thing I want to do is jeopardise something that clearly makes you happy. But I just, I had to tell you…" he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "So now you know," he sighed. "And… I guess I'll leave you to it," he finished, and Kurt felt his stomach drop, well aware of the double entendre to his words.
"You don't-."
"Yeah, Kurt. I do," Blaine finally lifted his eyes to meet Kurt's cutting him off swiftly. And with that, he turned leaving Kurt stood alone in the suddenly cold air.
"I don't know what to do, Rach," Kurt whined, pulling his knees up to his chest as Rachel dropped onto the sofa beside him, dipping her hand into the bowl of popcorn that sat in between them. "I love Blaine, of course I love Blaine. I've always loved Blaine. But… that was years ago, and I love Daniel too-."
"From what you've told me, it seems like you and Dan are pretty much over anyway," Rachel interrupted with a shrug, her tone nonchalant. Kurt turned to glare at her.
"Not helping, Rachel,"
"I don't know what you want from me, Kurt," she told him, pushing herself up and heading for the kitchen. "Maybe you just need to… be yourself for a while, without anyone to tie you down. I mean-. Look at me!" she smiled as she returned a bottle of apple juice in her hand. Kurt groaned, hugging the pillow that sat beside him, pouting as he let his eyes focus back on the TV, which was playing When Harry Met Sally. Rachel sighed, watching him for a moment before reaching over to dig around in her bag. "I think I know how to make you feel better," she mused.
"Impossible," Kurt mumbled into his pillow.
"Oh, so not even a ticket to a Broadway opening will help?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Kurt's head shot up, his eyes wide as they locked on the ticket in Rachel's hand.
"Rachel," he squealed, grabbing it from her. "How did…" he trailed off in amazement, she simply shrugged.
"Being a star has its perks. I may not have a lead role just yet, but I have one big enough to score me a free ticket for my best friend," she explained with a smile. "And I figured even in this state," she gestured to his sweatpants, "you wouldn't miss out on the opportunity to dress up," she smiled. "And there was no way I was going to let you miss the opening to my first role," she added, Kurt stared at her in awe for a moment before squealing again and pulling her into a hug.
Kurt sighed happily as he settled down into his seat, in all of his time in New York, he'd not yet once been to a Broadway show, purely because he could never afford to buy a ticket and still be able to pay all his bills that month. He glanced around, letting a smile settle on his face as he took in his surroundings. The past few weeks certainly hadn't been Kurt's best, at least not to begin with. He was pining, although over who, he wasn't sure. But eventually, he took Rachel's advice, and instead of spending months curled up on his couch in a pair of incredibly unflattering, yet comfortable, sweats, he pushed his love life to the back of his mind, letting himself concentrate wholly on just his life, and surprisingly, he was happy, there was still a part of him that felt lost, and that was constantly reminding him he was going to have to deal with it all at some point, but right now, he was okay. Well… a little more than okay, he was at a Broadway show!
Kurt glanced over the program he'd already read twice as he waited, tapping his foot gently. Then someone cleared their throat from beside him, grabbing his attention. Kurt slowly lifted his head, his eyes widening as they met with Blaine's, who smiled gently at him, causing his stomach to flop gently, his breath catching in his throat for a moment.
"So, did she force you, or did you volunteer?" Blaine asked as he slipped into the empty seat beside him.
"Both," Kurt replied with a shrug. "I'm contractually obligated to show up to at least one show a month while we're living together," he joked, "But I'd probably come anyway…. I'm proud of her," he finished quietly, a smile settling on his face. "How'd she talk you into it?"
"It's Broadway, Kurt. She didn't really need to talk me into anything. She just showed up with a ticket, told me to come," he shrugged. "I could hardly say no," Kurt nodded silently, a smile pulling at his features as the lights dimmed. He'd thank her later.
Kurt tried his best to ignore the electricity that hung through the air as the lights dimmed, but it didn't take long before he lost himself in the show, and promptly forgot all about the man sitting beside him, and Kurt couldn't help but feel a surge of pride whenever Rachel graced the stage. He really was proud of her, a little jealous too, but, proud nonetheless.
But eventually, the show came to an end, and Kurt found himself drawn back to Blaine again, biting his lip gently as the lights came back on again, illuminating Blaine's features. Blaine turned to look at him, smiling gently as the two stood.
"So, um, I guess you want to…" he trailed off, gesturing towards the stage, Kurt paused for a moment before answering.
"Rachel knows she's talented, and I'll see her at home," he replied quickly. "I actually… um… could we-. Would you walk with me?" he asked hesitantly, Blaine's lips pulled up into an instant smile and he nodded, turning to lead the way out of the theatre. Kurt took a breath and followed, swallowing the lump in his throat as he quickly tried to formulate some sort of plan.
"So, you're still working at the restaurant?" Blaine assumed as the two wandered through Central Park, Kurt nodded.
"For now. I still think I could be the next Anna Wintour. Either that or I steal Rachel's spotlight," he replied, Blaine chuckled.
"You could do either, easily," Blaine assured him, "Although I don't think Rachel would be too happy about that last one,"
"She'll get over it," Kurt shrugged; Blaine smiled for a moment before his expression became serious, his tone dropping.
"So, how are things with Daniel?" he asked, trying his best to seem nonchalant.
"Oh, we broke it off," Kurt replied absentmindedly before pausing for a moment as he realized he probably shouldn't have sounded quite so uncaring so soon. But when it came down to it, he really didn't care. In fact, he hadn't for a long time, maybe he never even had to begin with.
"Oh," Blaine tried to push back the tiny glimmer of hope in his tone. "A-Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think it was bound to happen eventually," Kurt replied, turning to look at him. The two locked eyes for a moment before Blaine broke away and glanced around, taking in their surroundings. This was the part where they went their separate ways.
"I uh… I guess I should probably go then," Blaine suggested, Kurt nodded slowly, chewing gently on his bottom lip. "See you later," Blaine smiled gently, turning away. Kurt watched him for a moment, debating on whether to leave himself or not, before he let his heart take over and found himself calling Blaine's name. Blaine paused and turned and Kurt started towards him, quickly closing the distance between them and pulling Blaine to him, pressing their lips together.
"You," he whispered onto Blaine's lips as they slowly pulled away. "It's always been you."
And there you have it. I told you not to hate me yet. I love them too much to break them up completely. :)
Anyway, like I said there are parts I would have liked to expand on and make longer, mainly Dan & Kurt's relationship - which was surprisingly a lot of fun to write - , and K & B getting to know each other again. But I think it manages without it. Hope you liked it. Reviews would be wonderful.
Oh, and that working in a food place thing... totally true. All it does is make you lose your appetite... at least for me anyway. XD
