A/N: So, this chapter was written with us in separate states, during college classes, in random order, and finished with both of us being extremely stubborn about how we wanted to fit it all together. And it still turned out to be one of our favorites! We hope you feel the same way. We're posting this chapter a little earlier than we usually do because you guys deserve it! We're going to see Chris Colfer at the New Yorker Festival on Saturday and we probably wouldn't of gotten much writing done if we waited any longer anyways! Enjoy!
Read&Review, as always!
Disclaimer: No Glee for us.
Chapter 14
Kurt sat on his bed in shock. He stared at the phone in his hand, reading the message over and over again. He had no idea what to do, where to start, what to say. There would be no way to end this in a good way, no result that would please people. This wasn't easily fixable to say the very least.
He scanned the message again, hoping maybe it would get easier to take in.
"Kurt, I need to just apologize again for how I treated you. Talking to you lately has made me realize that I never really gave you a chance-never gave us a chance. I really want to be more than just friends with you, Kurt. Becoming reacquainted with you has only made me realize what I've been missing-your love. I really miss you Kurt. Please, meet me tomorrow night so we can talk about this in person. I really want to work things out with you. I know you're dating that new kid, but what we had was so substantial, and such a good thing. I know how you feel about us-and that you know deep down we need to make things right. I hope I see you tomorrow."
He sighed. How on earth would he answer this? Should he go and speak to Trent? And most importantly, how was Blaine going to handle this?
It was Tuesday afternoon, and Kurt was lost. The one person he always went to for advice was the only person in the world he couldn't consult on this. He knew Blaine wouldn't want him anywhere near Trent-one Jeremiah had been enough.
But yet, Trent had seemed so sincere in every little exchange they'd had in the hallway. Kurt sighed. He knew it wouldn't be fair to Blaine if he went to see Trent behind his back. But Kurt didn't want to ignore the boy either.
He flopped backwards, laying on his bed. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, and Kurt nearly threw it in surprise.
Seeing it was Blaine, he relaxed, but only slightly. His boyfriend wanted them to get coffee tomorrow after school.
Tomorrow. Wednesday. The day he was considering seeing Trent.
Kurt was more confused than ever.
The scene reeled through Kurt's mind as he watched Blaine pull out of the parking lot with flooded eyes. Somehow, he made it back up the stairs to his dorm room, throwing open the door and collapsing on his bed. He saw the offending cell phone inches from him and pushed it off the bed, not caring if it shattered into a thousand pieces.
If it did, it'd match his heart.
How could Blaine overreact like that? How could he think that Kurt would cheat?
A text message saying things from an ex meant nothing-Blaine of all people should have known that.
Kurt sobbed into the pillow.
After a little while, he realized he was still in his robe. Throwing on flannel pajamas, he forced himself to slide into the bed he'd been kissing Blaine on merely hours before.
Blaine.
It hurt to even think the name. How could someone he loved so much cause him so much pain? With just words, Blaine had sliced into Kurt's heart and torn it up. Sticks and stones, my ass. Kurt thought miserably as he heaved a fresh set of tears into his pillow.
He didn't hear the door open or the footsteps cross the room.
"Kurt?" He heard a voice, and rolling over, he saw Finn.
"Finn?" He sniffled in reply.
"I know I'm supposed to sleep with Nick and Jeff, but I heard yelling. Where's Blaine? And why-Kurt! Why are you crying?" Finn reached into the bed and rubbed Kurt's shoulders.
The new load of tears had erupted after Finn had mentioned Blaine's name, and now his brother's attempt at comfort was only adding.
"He-he left." Kurt managed, sobbing into Finn's shoulder. His lanky arms enveloped Kurt into a hug, holding him tight.
Finn didn't ask another question, which Kurt was grateful for. Eventually, his tears subsided, and Finn laid him down gently to sleep, tucking the covers around him. Then he went to get his stuff, and crawled into his own bed.
There was no way Kurt could sleep alone tonight.
Blaine sat in his jeep, tears streaming down his face for the better part of an hour. It was nearing midnight and he was still trying to build up the courage to go inside and face the inquisition from Sophia that he was sure would be waiting for him. The anger had subsided, and the full effect of what had happened finally hit Blaine, and he regretted it immediately. He knew he overreacted. He knew that he should have let Kurt explain, but he was just so angry. He felt totally and completely betrayed. Betrayed by the one person he loved more than anyone or anything in this world. Even if Kurt hadn't gone to see Trent, and at this point, he didn't even know what really happened, Blaine was still mad that Kurt kept it from him. He had his phone sitting in his hand, his finger hovering over Kurt's name for the last 20 minutes. Taking a deep breath, he started dialing. Straight to voicemail. Great. But honestly, what did he expect? You can't just scream things like that to your boyfriend and expect him to be sitting vigil at his bedside with his phone waiting for your call, right? No. Kurt was probably just as angry, if not more angry, than Blaine was. This wasn't just some petty little argument, this was huge. And Blaine had to figure out how to fix it.
Finally deciding enough was enough; he wiped the remaining tears on his sleeve and made his way inside. Quietly padding up the stairs to his sister's apartment, he snuck inside and was greeted with darkness. Thank god, she's sleeping. Blaine tip-toed into his bedroom and threw himself on top of his bed, not even bothering to pull down the covers. Lying there, face down on his pillows, he let out a muffled scream. Groaning, he rolled over onto his back stared up at the ceiling. He hoped and prayed he hadn't completely ruined what him and Kurt had. He loved Kurt so much and storming out the way he did was probably the biggest mistake he had ever made. There had to be a way to fix this. Not tired at all, he lost himself in thought for a couple hours before drifting off into a restless sleep around 3am.
Kurt woke up the next morning, and nearly jumped. A pair of eyes were watching him sleep.
"FINN!" Kurt yelled, his heart racing. "What are you doing?"
"Just making sure you're okay." his stepbrother replied.
Why wouldn't I be okay? Kurt wondered. Then he remembered. He'd lost Blaine.
Kurt crumpled back into his pillow. Finn noticed the shift in his behaviors and motioned to the plate next to him.
"I brought you up some whole-wheat toast, and some coffee. It's still hot; I've been microwaving it every time you stir in your sleep."
Thankful for the gesture, Kurt declined, refusing to move out of his bed. Finn perched himself near Kurt's feet.
"Do you-do you want to talk about it?" Finn asked, a rare offer. Kurt sighed.
"Not really, but I probably should, shouldn't I?"
Finn nodded, and Kurt tried to think of a way to explain it to his brother.
"Basically, he found a text on my phone that made him think that I cheated on him, and he said a lot of mean things, and then he left."
Finn looked aghast.
"WHAT? But you two love each other! Anyone can see that! There's no way you'd cheat on him!" He paused. "You didn't cheat on him, right?"
"Of course not, Finn! I love him with my whole heart!" Kurt exploded, said heart aching at the thought. "I'd never cheat on him."
Kurt suddenly sat up in bed.
"He KNOWS I'd never cheat on him! I have the world's biggest trust issues! I freaked out when I found out he had a coffee with his ex, for crying out loud! There's no way I'd go near Trent again, not after-"
"Wait." Finn said, cutting off Kurt. "He thinks you're back together with Trent?"
Kurt nodded, pulling off the covers. "He completely overreacted. He saw something Trent had texted me, about meeting me on a day I told Blaine I couldn't see him, and Blaine assumed that I was cheating on him with Trent."
Kurt got out of bed, surprising his brother. He threw on a pair of slippers and moved toward the door, not caring that he was in pajamas.
"Wait!" Finn repeated. "Where are you going?"
Kurt spun around. "To talk to Trent. After all, I never did meet him for that coffee date. I may not have cheated on Blaine, but I did lie to him. I told him I couldn't meet him, because I honestly didn't know if I wanted to see Trent or not. I ended up sitting on my bed the whole time, trying to figure out if I even cared about what Trent had to say. And at that point, I thought I didn't. Blaine thinks I cheated on him, and I don't honestly have that in me. But right now, I need to see what exactly ruined my relationship. So I need to go talk to Trent."
He sped down the corridor, formulating his thoughts. Eventually, he made it down the long hallway and started banging on the door.
"Trent Barber, you open this door right now!" Kurt yelled, until finally the door creaked open.
"What the hell, Kurt?" Trent murmured sleepily. Kurt pushed his way inside, flicking on the lights and pushing Trent onto his bed. Kurt chose to stand so he could get a good look at him.
"You complete idiot! How could you think I would want to get back together with you, to even speak to you! Do you even know what you just caused?" Kurt was yelling, pacing back and forth. Trent's eyes were wide.
"Blaine saw your little text apology. About how you wanted to meet me. And he thought I was cheating on him, because I blew him off Wednesday afternoon! And he broke up with me! Are you happy now? I've lost the love of my life, because of that stupid stunt you pulled! How could you do this!"
"Kurt, this isn't my fault." Trent responded. "I didn't tell you to not erase the texts. I didn't force you to ditch him on Wednesday."
He stood up, walking closer to Kurt.
"Think about it. You screw over your boyfriend, you don't delete my messages. I think, maybe, deep down, you do want me back."
Trent leaned in impossibly closer to Kurt.
"Come on, Kurt. Can't you see it?"
Kurt screwed up his eyes, and immediately saw the hurt hazel eyes of Blaine Anderson.
And that was all it took.
Kurt swung his arm and slapped Trent across the cheek.
"HOW DARE YOU think that I'd want anything to do with you right now, or EVER?" Kurt shrieked, smacking the boy on the arm. Hearing the other boy cry out, he pivoted on his heels and stormed out of the room.
His anger was flowing freely as he slammed the door to his own room shut. Glaring at Finn, he launched himself onto his bed.
"Finn, please give me a moment." He said, much more calmly than he appeared. Finn nodded and walked out.
Kurt rolled over onto his back. His rage was coursing through his veins.
What made Trent think that just because he and Blaine were broken up that he'd want to be with him? He was the cause of all this, the reason behind Kurt's misery.
And what had made Blaine decide that Kurt was a cheater? He'd never cheated a day in his life! Not even on a homework assignment! He'd certainly never cheat on Blaine-he was the person Kurt loved most in the world, up at the top of the list with Burt, Carole, Finn, fashion and singing. He loved Blaine with the most passion he'd ever thought a person could have-the feelings he'd had for Trent two years ago couldn't compare.
Kurt woke up every morning counting the minutes until he could see Blaine, savored every second they had together, and missed him every night when he listened to Finn snoring. He loved the feel of Blaine's skin pressed against his, the taste of Blaine's lips, the touch of Blaine's fingers.
He wouldn't risk their relationship for anything in the world. How could Blaine think he would give it all up so easily?
Kurt hoped that Blaine knew he had overreacted, and he knew that eventually, he'd calm down and realize that he wanted Kurt back. Maybe soon.
But Kurt was realizing something for himself. Blaine had jumped the gun completely on this. He had accused Kurt of cheating, something so completely ridiculous. Kurt seethed at the thought. He was Blaine's, and only Blaine's. He'd never felt anything like this for anyone else. Kurt loved too deeply to even think about another boy. How could Blaine not see that, after all these months, the causal flirting, the careful touches, and the perfect kisses?
How could he not see that Kurt had eyes for only him?
It made Kurt wonder.
Was Blaine always this jealous, or was it only because of the Jeremiah incident? Why was it so hard to believe that Kurt would stay true to the boy he loved? And how could Blaine even think for an instant that Kurt would ever want to hurt him?
Kurt loved Blaine, and everyone knew it...but would their love be enough to save them?
The sound of the alarm woke Blaine up at 7am. Groaning, he rolled over to face his alarm clock, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. He turned it off and rolled over onto his back. He didn't want to get out of bed today, but he knew it was only a matter of time before Sophia came looking for him, which was a conversation he was dreading. He knew that his sister wouldn't be happy with the way that Blaine handled things last night and he didn't feel like feeling even worse about himself. Just as that thought passed through his head, there was a soft knock at the door.
"Blaine, are you here?" Sophia asked through the closed door.
Blaine cleared his throat, "Yeah, Soph, you can come in."
Sophia gently opened the door and immediately took notice of Blaine's still bloodshot eyes and the bags underneath them. She rushed over to the bed and wrapped her arms around him immediately.
"Oh Blainey, what happened?" Sophia was rubbing soothing circles up and down Blaine's back.
Choking back a sob, he tried to answer. "I –I messed up, Sophie. I m-messed up so bad."
Sophia could tell that Blaine was a mess and gave him a moment to compose himself. Once he could breathe again, he launched into the tale of what happened the previous night. Sophia stayed silent the whole time, listening to Blaine go on about how he had overreacted when he read the text message and how he stormed out and wouldn't even let Kurt explain himself, and oh god what was he thinking acting that way.
Finally, Blaine finished and felt completely exhausted all over again. He looked over at his big sister for advice.
"Oh, Blaine. I wish I could make this better for you, baby." Sophia cooed as she continued to rub circles into the small of his back. "You need to try and talk to him. If I know Kurt, he's probably just as messed up as you are right now. You made a mistake, we all make mistakes."
Blaine sighed, "I know Soph, but I was so cruel to him. What if he doesn't forgive me? What if he won't take me back? I mean I wouldn't blame him. When he saw me talking to Jeremiah, he didn't even freak out that bad. I mean, I don't even know if he actually went to see Trent or not. What if he's with him right now? Oh my god. What was I thinking? I've got to fix this. Now." Blaine jumped out of bed and out of his sisters arms. He was panicking. He should of just followed Kurt back up to his room last night. He shouldn't have went home.
"Blaine." Blaine ignored his sister and grabbed his towel and made for the bedroom door. "BLAINE ANDERSON!" He froze and turned around to face his sister, who was now standing a foot away from him. She grabbed his arms.
"Calm down, Blaine. Take a shower, relax. Calmly go speak to him. If you're freaking out like this when you go see him, he's not going to want to talk to you. Stop acting like a crazy person, okay?"
Blaine nodded and somberly walked toward the bathroom. After taking a long shower, and collecting his thoughts, he figured the best approach would be simply trying to talk to Kurt. He knew that it wouldn't be easy, but he also knew that Kurt still loved him. He knew that he had a shot, he just needed to play his cards right. He grabbed his keys off the hook and headed towards the door.
"Good luck!" he heard Sophia call as he shut the door behind him.
Blaine hopped into his Jeep and made his way down to Dalton. He stopped at a florist on his way, thinking that a nice bouquet of roses couldn't really hurt anything, right? He made it to the Dalton parking lot and sat in his car for a solid 10 minutes before getting up the courage to make his way up to the dormitories. After almost turning around four times, he finally found himself standing in front of Kurt and Finn's door. He raised a shaking hand and knocked on the door. No answer. Gulping nervously, he knocked again, a little louder this time. He heard some scrambling on the other side and finally the door opened to reveal Finn. Stepping out of the room, and shutting the door, he towered over a cowering Blaine Anderson.
"What do you want, Blaine?" Finn asked, and Blaine found himself shrinking back against the opposite wall because of his tone. "Because seriously, dude you shouldn't even be here. He doesn't want to see you."
Blaine finally managed to find his voice, "Finn, please. Just let me talk to him. Let me explain." He held up the flowers as a sort of peace offering.
Running a hand down his face, Finn looked at the shorter boy in front of him. "You really hurt him, you know? And I mean, I have a hard time staying mad at you because you're actually a cool guy, but he's my step-brother, man. He doesn't want to see you. He's in the shower right now, and I really wouldn't plan on being here when he gets out."
"Finn, just-" Blaine throat tightened, "just..give him these. Please?" Finn reluctantly took the flowers from Blaine. "And—tell him I'm sorry. And that I love him. Please, Finn?"
Finn nodded his head and turned to go back into his dorm room.
"I'm serious, Blaine. Don't be here when he gets out. I shouldn't be so nice to you. I don't need him being mad at me too, if he sees us talking. Just go home, get some rest. You look like a mess, no offense, dude."
Blaine dropped his head dejectedly and turned making his way down the corridor.
Finn shut the door behind him just as Kurt was walking out of the bathroom. Giving Finn a weak smile, he walked over to prop himself on the edge of his bed, finally noticing the flowers and how Finn was kind of just standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"Finn? Are you okay? Who are those flowers for?" Finn just stared back at Kurt, not knowing where to begin.
"Uh..Earth to Finn." Kurt tried again.
Shaking his head, Finn finally looked over at his step-brother.
"Um, well, Blaine was just here." Kurt's face immediately dropped. Oh.
"Yeah..he uh, he wanted me to give these to you. I told him you didn't want to talk, but he kind of insisted on me giving you these flowers. And that he's sorry, and he loves you." Finn was completely crimson. He knew that Kurt wasn't going to want to hear any of this, but really, it was killing Finn inside to see Kurt so upset.
Kurt scoffed, "Well you can keep the flowers. I'm sure he is sorry, but Blaine Anderson is going to have to do a lot better than a bouquet of flowers to apologize. Give them to Rachel or something, Finn. Really. I don't want them."
Finn sighed at his stubborn brother, and walked over to his nightstand and placed the flowers down before walking back to his side of the room and plopping down on his bed. After a few moments of tense silence, Kurt finally looked away from the bouquet of flowers sitting in front of him and over to Finn.
"Finn?"
"Yeah?" Finn responded, not looking up from his homework.
"How did Blaine look when he was here? Was he okay?"
Finn put his pencil down and looked over at Kurt, "He was a mess, dude. A complete mess."
Kurt sighed, before tossing the flowers into the garbage. "Good."
Blaine couldn't even concentrate at work that day. He had tried to talked to Kurt and got kicked out by Finn. He doesn't want to talk to you.Well, fuck. What was he supposed to do now? He had to go to school tomorrow and face Kurt, and god knows that it was going to hurt like hell, not to mention be extremely awkward. He loved Kurt so much and knowing that he had to go to school tomorrow and not walk up and hold his hand or kiss his cheek and walk him to class, it was going to kill him. He had to find some way to fix this. Obviously, Kurt wasn't going to make it easy, and he couldn't blame him, really.
He blindly went through the rest of his day at work, ignoring every question or comment that wasn't directed towards him. He went home that night and bypassed dinner. Sophia shot him a concerned look, but didn't press the subject as Blaine went straight to his room, stripped down to his underwear and crawled into his bed and cried himself to sleep.
Sophia had to literally drag him out of bed the next day to get ready for school.
"Can't I just skip, Soph? Please! I've never missed a day before." Blaine groaned as she was shoving a towel in his hand and pushing him into the bathroom.
"Shower, Blaine. I made breakfast. You're going to school today. You will face him and you will make things right. Do you hear me?" Blaine nodded in defeat and shut the door behind him as he turned on the faucet.
If you asked Blaine Anderson what he learned in school that day, he wouldn't have been able to give you an answer. Looking down at his notes during his third class, he found doodles of Kurt's name all over the page. Shutting his notebook in mild annoyance, he looked over at the clock. Five more minutes until lunch. Five more minutes until he'd have to face Kurt for the first time since Saturday night. To say Blaine was nervous was an extreme understatement. He didn't even know what he was going to say to Kurt. If Kurt even allowed him to say anything at all. The bell rang, pulling Blaine out of his thoughts. Mindlessly, he picked up his notebook and trudged his way down to the cafeteria. Once he entered, his eyes automatically went to the table that they usually sat at with Finn, Nick, and Jeff. He wasn't there. Blaine's heart dropped.
Walking tentatively over to the table, he put his notebook and lunch bag down.
"Hey, guys..mind if I join you? I don't really anywhere else to sit and I don't really want to sit by my-"
"Just sit down, Blaine. Kurt isn't coming to lunch anyways." Finn ordered, and Blaine sat himself down on the bench next to him, looking slightly heartbroken.
Blaine noticed Nick and Jeff share some knowing glances and he just rolled his eyes, opening his bag and pulling out his sandwich. The four of them ate in a tense silence for a while before Blaine looked over at Finn.
"Hey Finn, I know I shouldn't be asking for you advice or anything, but uh, I really need your help?" Blaine ran a hand through is unruly curls as he looked back at the taller boy sitting next to him.
Finn looked over at Blaine with a sad look on his face. "Listen, Blaine. It's really not my place to tell you anything. But, if I were to tell you something, it would be that Kurt is miserable. Like beyond miserable. He misses you a lot and he's just being really stubborn right now. It's almost like he wants to prove a point. But that's just Kurt. You know that, right? I wouldn't push the subject too far, though. Don't go seeking him out and trying to get through to him, because it'll just make his walls go up even higher. If he asks for space, I'm telling you to respect it. Because it'll only get harder if you don't." Finn glanced over at Blaine, who was staring down at his half eaten sandwich. "And dude? Stop looking like someone just kicked your puppy. You're bringing us all down."
Blaine chuckled and finished his lunch. "Well, I better get going. I have study period next. I'll see you guys later. And Finn? Thanks a lot, man."
Finn nodded in return, as he shoved another piece of chicken in his mouth.
Blaine didn't see Kurt all day. It was so strange. Since they didn't have a competition to prepare for, they only had Warbler practice twice a week now. This was the longest that Blaine had gone without seeing Kurt since September and it was physically painful. He took Finn's advice and decided not to actively seek Kurt out. Instead he went home and skyped with Rachel. It'd been too long since the two of them had really talked and he forgot how much he missed his best friend.
"Can you BELIEVE that Mr. Schue tried to take another solo away from me, Blaine? Honestly, sometimes I think they all enjoy watching me stomp out of the choir room." Blaine couldn't help but laugh at the brunette on the screen.
"Rach, maybe there was actually a reason that Schue decided to give the solo to Mercedes. It isn't even for Nationals. Why are you breaking out your diva over this?"
Rachel just sighed in annoyance and went on her normal tirade of how the Glee Club is just angry that she's more talented than them. Blaine just shook his head and listened to his friend talk about everything, happy that it brought him out of his own thoughts for a little while. For the first time in 3 days, Blaine finally went to sleep without crying first.
"Blaine was looking for you at lunch today, bro."
Kurt sighed irritably. "Finn, I didn't come to lunch today for a reason. Please stop trying to get me to talk to Blaine. I don't have anything to say to him. I'm still mad at him for what he said to me and I have every right to be. Please don't push this."
"Alright, I'm just saying, even if you're not going to work things out for the better, at least talk to the guy. Hear him out, Kurt. That's all. I know you miss him."
The truth of the matter is, Kurt didn't show up at lunch today because he knew as soon as he saw Blaine that he would forgive him. One look into Blaine's puppy dog, pleading, hazel eyes and Kurt would turn into a pile of mush. But he didn't want to forgive Blaine. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Well, that was being a little dramatic, but Kurt was upset. He had every right to be upset. He needed to figure out exactly what he wanted before he rushed into forgiving Blaine. Sighing to himself, he rolled over, his back facing Finn, and stared at the wall, deep in thought and finally making a decision before falling into a restless sleep.
The day seemed to take forever. Kurt predictably skipped lunch again, but Blaine didn't even care because he knew the one thing that he wouldn't miss out on was Warbler practice. He'd finally get the chance to talk to Kurt whether Kurt wanted to or not. After dashing to his locker after his last period of the day to throw his stuff inside, he booked it downstairs to the choir room. There were a few people inside already, Kurt and Finn included. Kurt glanced over to the door when Blaine entered and immediately averted his gaze towards the front of the room. Blaine shook his head and made his way to the empty couch behind Kurt. The practice wasn't long, they didn't have much to actually practice for, after all. Wes called the practice to a close and everyone got up and made their way to their dorms or cars. Blaine walked out of the room as well, until noticing that Kurt had never left. This is my chance, he thought to himself, before turning around and heading back towards the exit.
Blaine hesitantly reentered the choir room. He knew Kurt was alone. He found the taller boy throwing some sheet music into his messenger bag.
"Kurt," he said hesitatingly. "Can we talk?"
Kurt allowed him a withering glance, not answering him but not saying no. He caught the red rims around Blaine's eyes, and Finn's voice echoed in his head-"He looked like a mess."
He remembered being happy to hear Blaine was in pain, and now that he was actually there-it only was hurting him more.
"I know Finn told you I stopped by."
"Yes," Kurt managed. "With flowers."
Blaine sighed, moving across the room to stand a few feet in front of Kurt.
"I'm so sorry for how I treated you the other day, Kurt. I jumped to conclusions. I should have had more faith in you-in us. I know you're not a cheater, Kurt. You're a good person. Please forgive me. I miss you so much."
Kurt was beyond confused. Here was Blaine, his boyfriend-well, he was his boyfriend until a few days ago. The boy who was as sweet as the medium drips he guzzled daily, whose eyes melted looking into Kurt's. He softened the tiniest bit, his arm lifting as he reached out to touch the skin he'd missed so much.
But then he remembered. This was Blaine.
The boy who'd shunned him instantly upon reading a text message. Who hadn't listened to his pleas, apologies, or explanations. Who'd accused him of destroying their happiness.
Kurt's arm hung awkwardly in the space between them, before he dropped it awkwardly to his side.
"Kurt," Blaine said, slowly inching closer, those hazel eyes begging.
Kurt's face visibly hardened, his eyes darkened, and Blaine shrank back.
"Don't come near me." Kurt replied, backing away from Blaine. "Don't. You told me that I ruined us. That we were over. That I was a terrible person. You don't get to just come here and look at me like that, with those eyes-"
"Kurt, please, just listen to me-"
"Why, Blaine? Why should I listen to you? Listening to someone is a courtesy. It's something you do for someone you love."
"Are you saying-" Blaine broke off.
Kurt sighed. "No, Blaine. What I'm saying is that you wouldn't listen when I needed to explain myself. Why should I listen to you?"
"BECAUSE!" the curly-haired boy exploded. "I know I was wrong, Kurt come on. Hear me out."
Kurt shook his head. "I don't need to hear what you have to say, Blaine. I know what you're thinking. I was there not too long ago. But the difference was that I didn't completely jump down your throat. Yes, I was mad, and yes, I yelled, but I let you explain yourself then and there. I didn't throw a hissy fit and break up with you and leave."
Kurt stood and started walking out of the choir room, turning to Blaine.
"I'm sorry, Kurt." He heard the shorter boy murmur behind him.
Kurt nodded. "I know you are."
He started walking away from Blaine. "Have a good break, Blaine. Maybe this time apart will be good for us." He said finally, leaving Blaine behind him.
He walked upstairs and grabbed his suitcase. Finn had already left for a camping trip with Burt (Kurt had managed to escape this one) so the room was empty. Saying his last few goodbyes as he walked down the corridor, he set off for the Navigator.
He drove home slowly, replaying the scene in his head again. When he opened the door, Carole enclosed him in a hug.
"Hi, Kurt." She said quietly, her voice dripping with sympathy. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Kurt sighed. "Not tonight, Carole. I've just had a rough couple of days."
She nodded, motioning to her cooking. "It's just you and me tonight since Burt and Finn are gone. Dinner will be done soon, why don't you go settle in?"
Kurt went to his bedroom, resting his bag on his bed. He looked around his room, swallowing slowly when he saw the huge collage of him and Blaine that he'd put up over Christmas. He couldn't bear to look at it, but couldn't tear it down.
His heart ached. He really missed Blaine.
"Dinner, Kurt!" Carole called down the stairs.
He emerged a few minutes later after washing the tears from his face. Carole handed him a dish, pretending she hadn't heard him crying.
They ate quietly, occasionally chattering about her job and Burt's shop. Carole didn't ask him about Blaine, and he didn't ask what Finn had told her. They cleared the dishes together, and settled into the living room to watch a marathon of Project Runway.
Kurt looked over to Carole, loving their closeness. She caught him staring, and extended her arm to wrap it around his shoulders. Snuggling into her, he whispered softly, "Thank you for being a perfect mom."
Carole looked at him and rubbed his hair lightly. "I try, Kurt. And I know I'll never be your real mom. But I truly value our relationship, and when you are ready to talk, I'll be here for you."
They sat like that for a few more hours. Just after eleven, he decided it was late enough for him to go to bed. He stood, hugged Carole goodnight, and descended to his bedroom.
When he woke up the next morning, the first thing he saw was Blaine.
That collage has got to go. Kurt grumbled as he pulled off his covers. But as he crossed the room to grab the corner of the poster, his heart stopped him from tearing the picture into a million pieces.
He looked carefully at each of the pictures, remembering all the times Blaine had made him feel special. The ice-skating, romantic dinners, and infinite coffee dates. The gentle caresses, sweet whispers. The endless "I love you"s.
Was it all really over?
Kurt knew the ball was in his court at this point. He didn't know what to do. It was like he was dating two people. Blaine, the complete goober, who would do anything to make him smile. And Blaine who all of a sudden didn't trust him.
He knew he loved Blaine. They were perfect for each other.
He wanted more than anything to be able to hold Blaine again, but he couldn't get that angry, screaming face out of his head.
Kurt hurriedly dressed and ran up the stairs. It was time to talk to Carole.
He found her sitting at the kitchen table, watching the coffee brew. She looked up at him, smiling.
"Hi, sweetie. How'd you sleep?"
He sank into the chair across from her.
"Not as well as I'd have like to, I'm afraid. Can we talk?"
Carole nodded. "Let me just pour us some coffee."
"Yes, please. We're going to need it," Kurt said, wincing slightly as he tried to figure out his game plan. She slid a mug across the table to him, and Kurt took a deep breath.
"I recently became...friendly with Trent, my ex-boyfriend. We saw his parents in December, and I guess they told him, so lately he's been trying to talk to me at school and stuff. Obviously, Blaine knew, because there are no secrets at Dalton, or between us, after the whole Jeremiah thing."
Carole nodded. He'd told her all about that prick and what he'd tried to do. Kurt sipped his coffee before continuing.
"Last week, Trent had texted me a whole thing about wanting to talk to me, because he finally realized he'd been a jerk and that he wanted to fix things. He also said that he still had feelings for me and that despite my relationship with Blaine, he wanted to see if he still had a chance, and he wanted to meet me the next evening to talk. Minutes after getting the text, I get a text from Blaine, asking to get coffee the next afternoon. So," Kurt hesitated, getting to the root of the problem, "I told Blaine that I couldn't hang out because I had a lot of homework."
Carole looked appalled, as Kurt had expected, but simply motioned for Kurt to go on.
"I didn't end up going to see Trent. I didn't want to tell Blaine, but I didn't want to go behind his back. I was curious about what Trent had to say, but I loved Blaine more than that. So I ended up sitting alone in my room and I ignored Trent the next few days.
"Saturday after Regionals, after Blaine and I were, uh, intimate-" Kurt broke off, trying best to explain what had gone down, "We didn't have sex, but-"
"You don't need to explain it to me, honey," Carole said. "This is between us, I won't tell your dad about that part. As long as you were being safe."
Kurt nodded. "So anyway, I was taking a shower, and I guess Blaine looked at my phone and found the text from Trent, and took me not being with him on Wednesday as me seeing Trent behind his back. He said a lot of mean things, and ended it, and left. He came by the next morning with flowers, because I guess he realized he'd overreacted and was going to apologize, and Finn made him leave. And then Monday was so awkward, I avoided lunch because I didn't want to see him at all. Then apparently he and Finn talked, because Finn came to me and said that Blaine was really hurting, and that he thought we really needed to work things out.
"Yesterday afternoon after Warbler rehearsal, Blaine approached me and tried to talk to me. He apologized, told me how much he missed me, and took back all the mean things he said. And I basically told him that I was hurt because I gave him the benefit of the doubt with the Jeremiah thing and that-"
"Kurt." Carole interrupted. "Do you love Blaine?"
Kurt paused for a second.
"No. Stop thinking. Look at me. Do you love Blaine?"
"Yes." Kurt said before he could stop himself.
"Then stop keeping score. You both made mistakes. You shouldn't have kept the Trent text from him. And yes he overreacted. But when you love someone, you accept their flaws and their mistakes. Don't hold it over his head that once you were right and he was wrong. There's going to be plenty of times when he'll be right and you'll be the bad guy. I know you're young and that this is new. But I've heard the way you talk about him. And if that's any indication of how you are when you're with him, then this is true love. And you can't give that up over something little like this."
Kurt stood up, crossed the room, and grabbed his keys.
"Carole? Thank you." He said, heading toward the door.
"Where are you going?" She asked, mostly to hear what Kurt would say. She knew the answer.
"I'm going to see Blaine." Kurt said firmly before he walked out to his car. "I'm getting the love of my life back before it's too late."
So...there's that!
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