Months passed by uneventfully for Kurt as he threw himself into his studies and took on extra shifts at work. He had decided to steer clear of dating for a while and instead struck up a new friendship with a boy from his class after performing a duet together during the Summer showcase.
Elliot was outgoing and easy to get along. He joined NYADA after Spring break, having missed half of his freshman year after landing an off Broadway role. It was only in the ensemble but it was an amazing achievement as he also got the be the understudy for one of the main characters. When it was time to go on tour though he had turned down the offer to complete his studies. He knew there would be more jobs in the future and always had every intention of returning.
When Elliot had first arrived, the rumour mill instantly kicked into gear and Kurt heard all kinds of stories from the other being fired from the show to him being the secret love child of a famous actress. Kurt took anything he overheard with a pinch of salt but the amount of buzz surrounding Elliot made him nervous when they were paired together for the performance.
There was no denying he was good looking on top of being ridiculously talented but Kurt held his own the first time they sang, refusing to be out performed. As soon as they completed their first run through, Elliot was the first to compliment Kurt on his voice and practically gushed over how excited he was for them to get to sing together.
The two found they shared a lot of common interests after spending time together rehearsing and it didn't take long for them to come up with the idea of forming their own band. It wouldn't be an accapella group so there was no chance of them stepping on Adam's toes in any way, Kurt having retold the story of his last failed relationship one night over drinks. They performed in local bars on open mic night with them both on vocals until Elliot brought along a girl he knew from work. Dani was an amazing bass player and Elliot also added his own guitar to the mix and the band was formed. They only really played covers of well-known songs but none of them expected it to launch their music careers. They were in it to have fun. All three loved performing and Kurt was grateful to have a new creative outlet to focus his energy on.
For the first time in a long time, Kurt didn't feel quite so lonely anymore. It was everything he felt he could have had with Adam if they had remained as friends rather than taking the romantic route. Luckily there was no chance of that happening with Elliot as they had both made it perfectly clear after some drunk flirting that neither expected or wanted anything other than friendship. Kurt would never say it out loud but he refused to ever be in a relationship with someone that could challenge him fashion-wise. That was his thing and having such a creative and stylistic friend was perfectly fine, but a boyfriend that wore outfits outshining his own was a definite no in his mind.
The only missing presence that continued to weigh heavily on his heart was that of his family. Burt came to visit New York once and Kurt took him around all the usual tourist hotspots. In terms of going to Ohio though, Kurt had kept true to his word and avoided going back for long stays or even quick weekend trips. He stuck to celebrations only, which gave him something to look forward to but it wasn't enough. He missed them all, especially his Dad.
Blaine had been impossible to avoid even with the limited visits as he still spent the majority of his time at the Hummel-Hudson household. During the summer he had even taken on the weekend vacancy at Burt's garage. Kurt spent time with Finn and Blaine as they would have done in the past and to anyone looking on it might have seemed like nothing had changed. The incident was never mentioned but Kurt could feel an awkwardness between them that hadn't been there before. To put it bluntly, Kurt hated it. He knew it was impossible to go back to how things were before the kiss but at the same time, he didn't know how much longer he could take things the way they were now.
It was nearly Fall when Kurt found himself back in Ohio for Finn's birthday. A family meal had been planned by Carol for the Friday night, leaving his actual birthday free on the Saturday for him to spend with friends. To everyone's surprise, except Finn's it seemed, Rachel decided to tag along. Kurt was grateful for the travel companion but nervous about the couple getting back together again. Rachel kept trying to reassure him that they were completely over each other, to the point that they could be friends again. Kurt couldn't help but scoff at her words, knowing there was no such option. Once feelings were involved, friendship went out the window.
The meal had been booked at a local Italian restaurant with an extra placed being added for Rachel when Kurt called to pre-warn Carol that there would be an extra guest staying for the weekend. Kurt managed to sit next to Finn during the meal which he was truly grateful for given that the brothers hadn't had a chance to catch up in a while. Kurt still had weekly conversations with his father, and usually also spoke to Carol during the calls, but he didn't often get time to chat with Finn. Rachel sat to the left of Kurt with Carol on her other side, while Blaine was on the opposite side of the table between Finn with Burt.
Food and drink were enjoyed by all with everyone raising a glass to the birthday boy after their plates had been cleared away and Carol gave a short speech about how proud she was of her baby. Conversations started up again as they waited for dessert, but the second Blaine excused himself to go to the bathroom, Rachel wasted no time in claiming his seat and grabbing Finn's attention away from Kurt.
Blaine rolled his eyes on returning to find his place stolen and went over to the empty chair by Kurt.
"Hey," he smiled. It took all his energy to come off as calmly as possible, not wanting to make it obvious that his heart rate had just doubled in speed. They hadn't been this close in a long time, but the effect Kurt had over him was still instantaneous.
"Do you mind if I sit with you? I don't think we are going to be able to prise those two apart any time soon."
"I think you're right." Kurt had his head rested on two fingers that were against his temple as sighed deeply. "I can't even with those two at the moment." Turning away from his brother and his roommate, he gave his attention to the boy beside him and gestured for Blaine to sit down.
"It's been a while since you've been home. College keeping you busy?" Blaine asked, trying to strike up what he hoped came across as a normal conversation between the two of them. He hated the awkwardness that seemed to constantly linger over them.
"Yeah, classes have really picked up this term. I've taken on a few different electives this time around that are a lot more involved that I originally expected, but I'm really enjoying them." Kurt was pleased that school was a safe enough topic to talk about as realised this was the first time they had spoken just the two of them since the incident. Sure, he had his family around them so they weren't completely alone, but past interactions had usually involved Finn which meant neither of them would broach certain subjects.
"Burt's been playing us all the recordings you send of your showcase performances. You must be doing well to always get selected."
Kurt could feel his face heating up. He never took compliments well and hadn't even realised his dad would be showing Blaine those videos.
"Well, my vocal teacher loves me but I wouldn't get such a glowing report from my dance tutor."
"I doubt that's true." Blaine let out a light laugh and seemed so genuine in his praise that Kurt couldn't help but feel proud of his achievements. He had started to take some of it for granted without realising it as not every student got as much stage time, especially in their first year. It felt good to get a confidence boost and Kurt's initial hesitance to have a conversation with Blaine faded quickly.
"After the last show, Elliot and I decided to start a band. He was my duet partner for the Summer showcase and believe me when I tell you that what you would have seen was a toned down version of how he is in person. The director had to practically rip away his top hat seconds before we got on stage. We've only played a couple of times but he's so talented, and his friend Dani has just joined us too. She's incredible."
Caught up in talking about his friends, Kurt missed how Blaine tensed at his words. The younger boy had indeed seen the performance and could barely contain how jealous he felt towards the guy that got to share the stage with Kurt. Their voices balanced perfectly and the whole show was spectacular. Hearing Kurt talk about the experience instantly got his mind jumping to conclusions about exactly how friendly the pair really were. He masked his feelings and continued to smile and nod as Kurt went on filling him in on the different songs that had chosen to cover but it took a great amount of effort on his part.
"What happened to the other group you were in?" Blaine interrupted suddenly as he remembered Finn had told him about a show choir of sorts, joking about how Kurt never managed to escape being in a glee club.
Kurt tried not to let the memory dampen his mood. "That… didn't really work out."
"Oh, sorry. I guess it was for the best though as you seem to have found something you truly love." Blaine really hoped he couldn't hear any bitterness in his voice as he wanted to be pleased for Kurt. He had no right to feel heartbroken if Kurt had found someone that made him happy. His head knew he needed to move on, even his heart still refused to let go.
"Yeah." Kurt said thoughtfully. His mind had been drawn back to the reason behind his failed relationship with Adam.
He took in the sight of the boy smiling at him and assessed the situation from his own point of view. The awkwardness he had felt previously had all but disappeared when they were talking, at least until the moment when Adam was brought up. That led Kurt to the conclusion that it must have been his own feelings causing the issue.
If he was being honest with himself then he would have to admit that it wasn't the answer he had hoped. If the problem stemmed from his feelings alone, that meant Blaine either never felt anything towards him or had already got over whatever crush he might have thought he had. Logically it was what he wanted to happen as it would be best for both of them. Plus, to focus on the only positive he could make from it, it meant he no longer had to avoid coming home.