Their weekly coffee dates continue. Every Wednesday, they head straight to the Lima Bean and sit together for an hour and chat. They don't discuss Richard again, and they certainly never address the depth of their feelings towards one another. It looms large between them, very much the elephant in the room. They find themselves pulling apart as if burned, should their fingers accidentally touch, and apologizing profusely if their knees accidentally knock together under the table. Yet despite all this they actually enjoy their time together. They enjoy getting to know one another's quirks and idiosyncrasies, and can relax- for the most part- in each others presence.
It's another four weeks before the inevitable happens- to be honest Kurt is surprised it's not sooner, although Blaine seems shocked and more than a little uncomfortable. The door to the coffee shop opens and in comes Rachel, Quinn and Mercedes, talking loudly over one another. They don't see the couple in the furthest corner move their chairs swiftly apart. When they move to collect their drinks from the end of the counter though, Quinn spots them.
"Oh, hey Blaine." She trills, as she sashays over to them, ponytail swinging. "Well, this is a surprise."
"Hey Quinn. Hi Girls," Kurt says, after glancing at Blaine who, it appears, has been rendered speechless by embarrassment. "I was just uh...I just wanted to run some ideas past Blaine about possible song choices."
"And you didn't think to ask me?" Rachel screeches as she pulls up a chair between the two. "That is totally unfair. I have so many ideas, and I never feel like you listen to any of us. Well. Except Blaine. You're worse than ."
"She has a point, Mr.H." Mercedes agrees as her and Quinn also sit. "You're always going on about how amazing Blaine is, but like you said on your first day, we're not all backup singers you know."
"I know that, Mercedes, and I don't think I single Blaine out at all."
"Oh but you do." Quinn interrupts. "Although whether that's because you are in awe of his admittedly beautiful singing voice, or whether it's because you enjoy seducing young boys remains to be seen."
Kurt snaps. Cheeks flaring red, he leans across the table and points his finger at Quinn. "Those are very serious allegations Quinn, and I want you to take that back immediately," he hisses. "I have never, ever acted inappropriately towards Blaine, at all. We were merely having coffee together and talking about music. Songs for the whole Glee club, not just solos for Blaine." He settles back in his chair, but his heart is still racing and his face is burning as he realizes he has just lied to this young girl's face. Caressing Blaine's cheek and calling him perfect was more than inappropriate, he supposes. But then again, he can't help who he falls for.
Shit. It suddenly hits him. This is what's happening. He's falling for Blaine. Blaine, who is ten years his junior, still a minor and above all, his student. He feels like someone has thrown a bucket of ice water in his face. This has to stop.
"Okay, Okay. Jesus. Sorry. Won't joke with you again Mr.H." Quinn says, holding her hands up.
"Sorry, Quinn. Maybe I overreacted. Since you're all here anyway, why don't we discuss this together?" Kurt smiles and tries to listen as Mercedes and Rachel launch into a heated discussion about which songs New Directions should try next.
Blaine, for his part, continues to sit in silence. Staring at the table, he looks sick to his stomach as the conversation swirls around him. He saw the moment it hit Kurt. He felt it too. Like a knife lodged itself in his gut and twisted long and hard. He knows this is the end of something that hasn't even begun.
"I'm leaving," he announces suddenly, toppling his chair to the ground in his haste. He grabs his keys from the table and walks swiftly out the door without looking back.
"What's up with him?" Mercedes asks, as the girls stare at the Lexus speeding out the parking lot.
"I don't know, I'll call him later." Rachel muses. Quinn however, says nothing. She takes in the worried and hurt look on her teacher's face. It doesn't take a genius to work out that neither Blaine nor Kurt were pleased at the interruption, and looks positively devastated at Blaine's hurried exit. She makes a silent vow to track Anderson down tomorrow, and make him talk.
She finds him the next day, sitting at the piano in the deserted auditorium, lost in the most beautiful, haunting and altogether sad melody Quinn has ever heard. She watches for a while, and marvels at his amazing talent for music. Maybe that's why Mr. Hummel is so attracted to him, she muses. He draws the piece to a close and sits, staring into space, lost in his own thoughts. He is startled when Quinn joins him on the bench.
"Why so sad?" she asks softly.
Blaine eyes her warily. He's never really spoken to Quinn about anything other than Glee, or their English assignments. He's not really sure if he can trust her, and she always seems too aloof to actually be considerate of other peoples feelings.
"I'm not sad."
"Yes you are. And you walked out of the coffee shop yesterday without speaking to any of us."
"I had a headache."
"Bullshit, Blaine." She turns to him on the bench so he is forced to look at her before continuing. "You and Hummel looked like you'd both been caught with your pants down. What's going on?"
"Don't say that," Blaine snaps as his eyes darken, "Ku...Mr Hummel told you yesterday, we were just having coffee together. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Really? Really, you think there is nothing wrong with that? We had all been in Glee together, neither one of you mention that you're headed to the Lima bean to discuss song choices. The three of us walk in, and suddenly you look like you're gonna barf, Hummel is beet red, and then you walk out without a word. If, and I mean if there was nothing going on, why the sudden exit? Surely you would have been happy to stay and talk some more about music."
Blaine runs a hand through his hair. Clearly, Quinn is going to persist with this line of questioning until she's satisfied. "Fine. Ok. I like him."
Quinn smiles, and Blaine is reminded of a snake closing in on it's prey.
"But..but it's just a little crush, that's all. Nothing more," he stammers.
"And he likes you too."
"NO!" Blaine yells, face flaming and jumping to his feet. "No, not at all. Not like that. Trust me, he so doesn't."
"Shut up Blaine. He does. His face after you left yesterday...he looked like a kid who just discovered Santa isn't real."
"Really?" Blaine leaps on this piece of information, then reminds himself who he is talking to. "I mean...uh...that's no big deal. If he looked upset it was probably about something completely unrelated."
"No, I'm pretty sure it was because of you walking out. When he first started here, you said you'd met him before."
"Yes..."
"So what happened?"
"I knocked him over in the park."
"Seriously?"
Blaine nods, which makes both of them laugh and eases the tension somewhat. "I uh...I was late to meet Rachel. I was texting her to apologize when I literally ran right into him and he fell over."
"Wow. Way to go Blaine, great first impression."
"I know, right?" He grins at her, feeling more relaxed now, but still deciding not to fill her in about the instant attraction. "So then I was in a music store in Columbus a few weeks later, and he came in."
"And?"
"And I asked him out."
"What?" Quinn's jaw drops as she tries to take this in. The notion of Blaine ever gathering enough courage to ask anyone out is such an alien concept that it can only mean one thing. This is more than just 'a little crush.' "What did he say?"
"He turned me down."
"Oh Blaine, sweetie." Quinn's hug takes him by surprise. With everything that has happened since, the memory of Kurt turning him down that day had faded to nothing more than an awkward moment. Another one to add to the growing list of times Blaine makes a fool of himself, he thinks.
"So that's what all this is about." Quinn states, deciding for herself. "Was he sad because you keep asking?"
Blaine thinks quickly. He could correct her...but really, as he's pretty damn sure nothing is ever going to happen, what's the point? "Uh...kind of. I think he was upset because he had to remind me my feelings aren't reciprocated."
"Blaine, listen to me. You need to move on from this. He is your teacher. It can't happen in a million years, and really it's unfair of you to put Mr. H in this situation," she admonishes.
And Blaine sits there. Sits there and takes it while Quinn Fabray, of all people, lectures him about how to act appropriately. The irony of the situation is not lost on him. Eventually, unable to stand anymore, he thanks her politely for the advice, and promises he he will stop harassing the English teacher, as Quinn so delicately puts it.
So, he doesn't. He is the last to arrive and first to leave for English, and stays at the back and doesn't speak a word during their dance rehearsal for Glee, even when Puck wolf whistles at the sight of Kurt doing stretches in tight yoga pants, making him blush and everyone else laugh. Nevertheless, it's that image he has in his mind as he jerks himself to orgasm in his bedroom that evening...and across town Kurt gets fucked into the mattress while thinking only of Blaine.
Saturday morning finds Blaine at the gym as soon as it opens. In a desperate bid to erase some of the sexual tension inside him, he spends over an hour using the punch bag before running hard and fast on the treadmill. He grabs a quick shower and throws on another pair of sweats and a hoodie, leaving it partially unzipped for the short walk to his car so the cool air can reach his skin. He forgot his product, so the curls are left natural. Not at all happy with his appearance, he sighs into the mirror and leaves. Because the world seems to conspire against him, it is of course in this state that he walks out of the gym...and straight into Kurt and his boyfriend.
"Blaine!" Kurt seems surprised, but happy to see him, which is strange Blaine thinks- seeing as they've gone out of their way to ignore each other since Wednesday's events.
"Oh hey Mr. Hummel." Blaine nods in his direction, and tries to continue to the car but it's clear Kurt is pushing for conversation.
"So, what are you doing here?" He asks, all smiles.
"Uh...working out?" Blaine phrases it as a question, because really, what else would he be doing?
"Yes, of course." Kurt laughs nervously, before remembering who is stood next to him. "Oh! So...uh...Richard, this is Blaine Anderson, one of my students. Blaine, this is Richard."
"His boyfriend." Richard adds, before shaking Blaine's hand firmly.
Blaine takes him in. He is tall, and broad. He looks like he spends a considerable amount of time lifting weights, and Blaine recalls Kurt saying he was a health freak. He has dark blonde hair, closely cropped, and blue eyes that don't twinkle and shine like Kurt's do. He is not smiling, it's more of a sneer, looking down on Blaine as if he's worthless.
"Hi." Blaine murmurs, as Richard slaps him hard on the back.
"How's it going kid?" he asks. He is dismayed to find that Blaine doesn't stumble from the force of his 'friendly' slap on the back. For someone so small he is certainly strong and sturdy. Richard instantly dislikes this kid, but there's no denying he's hot. He hardly looks only seventeen. He's the type of guy Richard would try and seduce in a club, he thinks to himself- hoping for a quick blowjob in the bathroom. Do all Kurt's students look like this, he wonders?
Blaine ignores the boyfriend's question, knowing he's not interested in the reply. "Well, I'd better be going. Enjoy your workout Kurt." he walks quickly to his car, not giving Kurt a chance to reply.
"You'd better watch that one," Richard says as they head into the building.
"What are you talking about?" Kurt asks, feeling his heart sink as he sees Blaine driving away.
"That kid. Obviously got a crush on you. Can't say I blame him." Richard pinches Kurt's ass hard, as if to emphasize his point.
"Get off me." Kurt snaps, face turning red. "Must you always treat me like a piece of meat? And anyway, Blaine is harmless."
"I know. He's a kid with a crush. Still. At least he knows you belong to me."
"As if anyone could ever forget it." Kurt mutters under his breath.