Author's Note: This is my contribution to Secret Santa Klaine, and it's written for jackabelle73. Enjoy, and merry Christmas!
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by lilyvandersteen
"So how are things going with Blaine?" Rachel asked over dinner.
"They're not," Kurt answered, trying to keep the bitterness to a minimum. "I don't think he'll ever like me back."
Blaine was the dreamboat Kurt had developed a crush on as soon as he saw him on orientation day at NYADA.
Luckily, Blaine had liked Kurt at once too, only in a depressingly platonic way.
They had become the best of friends, and Blaine was so often at the loft he seemed like an extra roommate.
But the something more Kurt had hoped for remained a faraway dream.
Kurt sighed. "It's been months, and we've been on tons of coffee dates, and I've been flirting my hardest, but so far I've made no progress whatsoever. So either you're right, Rach, and he's straight, or else he's gay but just not interested in me. I don't know which is worse, to tell you the truth."
"Aww…" Rachel commiserated.
"So I've decided enough is enough, and I'm going to avoid Blaine as much as possible until I've gotten over this stupid crush."
"Hmm, maybe you should go to tonight's mixer, see if someone else strikes your fancy?" Rachel suggested.
Kurt wrinkled his nose in disgust. A mixer was the last place in the world he wanted to be. Too many people, who were too drunk to hold up their end of the conversation and who spilled drinks on you. Ugh.
Blaine agreed with Kurt on this. On time, he'd even been vomited on. Gross.
Wait a minute, that meant Blaine would certainly NOT be at the mixer. So maybe Kurt should go, to avoid him and all that.
That evening, dressed fabulously, but in clothes that were machine-washable, just in case, Kurt accompanied Rachel to the mixer.
Just when he finally felt at ease, chatting with a guy called Elliott, someone tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around, he saw that it was Blaine. "What on earth are you doing here?"
Blaine chuckled a bit awkwardly. "I could ask you the same question. But hey, I wouldn't want to cramp your style. You have fun tonight! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
And off Blaine went again.
Kurt watched him go, perplexed. "What was that all about?"
Elliott laughed. "Well, you didn't sound very welcoming."
"Because I never expected him to turn up here!"
"An ex of yours?" Elliott asked.
Kurt shook his head. "Nah. He's friend-zoned me since the day we met. Apparently, I'm not his type."
Elliott raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, his loss."
"I'll drink to that," said Kurt, clinking his cup against Elliott's and finishing off the lukewarm beer that was inside.
Elliott was nice, a great dancer, not too drunk to chat with and easy on the eyes. What's more, Kurt caught Elliott looking at his lips and checking out his ass, which meant that he definitely was interested.
Moreover, Rachel had texted Kurt she'd be spending the night at Brody's.
Why, then, did Kurt go home alone after the mixer?
K&B
A week later, Kurt found himself at a concert by Elliott and his band at a hole-in-the-wall he'd never have gone to of his own accord.
Elliott had invited him, and Kurt was glad he'd agreed to come. The band was amazing, and Elliott was not only a great singer, but a performer who had the audience spell-bound.
Right in front of the stage, a bunch of scarcely dressed teenage girls were yelling the lyrics at the top of their voices. Thank heavens the band was loud enough to drown them out.
When the band had their break, Elliott was quick to introduce Kurt to his bandmates Dani, Sharon and Kyle, who were all just as laid-back and nice as Elliott himself.
Kurt was truly enjoying himself listening to Dani's stories about their summer touring around the States when once again, someone tapped him on the shoulder, and it proved to be Blaine.
"Blaine!"
"Hey. So, Elliott, huh?"
"Isn't he great? I mean, the whole band is, but Elliott really takes it to the next level!" Kurt enthused.
Blaine gave Kurt a weird look and excused himself to go back to the friends he'd come to the concert with.
"Who was that?" Dani asked.
"A friend of mine, from NYADA."
"Just a friend?"
"Yeah."
Dani wiggled her eyebrows. "Nice ass, though."
Kurt grinned at her and agreed wholeheartedly.
K&B
Dani took a shine to Kurt and invited him along to a tattoo shop because she wanted a new tattoo, "and I want you to help me choose because it's obvious you have flawless taste".
Well, after such a compliment, how could Kurt refuse?
In the shop, he and Dani thumbed through book after book of tattoo designs, giggling at the more outlandish ones and seriously debating others.
In the end, they narrowed down the selection to two choices, and called in Elliott to help decide which design to pick.
Just when all three of them had decided on the flower tattoo, Kurt heard a familiar voice say his name.
"Blaine? Are you getting a tattoo?" Kurt asked.
Blaine chuckled and ran a hand over his neck. "Nah. No offence, but that's not really my thing. I'm here with Tina."
"Blainey-Days?" called the girl in question. She was dressed in gothic style, and didn't seem to have any tattoos yet, or at least not in visible places. "Come look at this one. I think it's perfect. What do you think?"
Blaine gave Kurt and his friends a dorky wave and hurried back to Tina.
Kurt watched the two heads bowed over the book. They seemed really close. Was this Tina Blaine's girlfriend, then?
They, too, seemed to come to a decision. Tina declared it perfect, and gave Blaine a smacking kiss on the cheek. Hmm, yes, it certainly seemed as though they were dating. So Blaine was straight after all. Rachel would have a field day when Kurt told her.
Kurt turned his back on Blaine and joined the discussion about Dani's new tattoo. He determinedly did not look at Blaine again.
K&B
Two days later, Dani talked Kurt into joining her for yoga class. Kurt usually did his work-out routine at home, since he didn't really feel comfortable wearing a leotard around a group of strangers, but she assured him no-one would pay him any notice.
And yes, when he arrived, he saw that she was right. Everyone minded their own business, setting up their mat and talking with the people they knew.
Reassured, Kurt started unrolling his mat next to Dani's and did some stretching.
Just when he'd sunk into a child pose and was really relaxing into it, a chipper voice called his name.
Blaine! Blaine looking sexy in a black wife-beater that clung to his chest and tiny green shorts that showed off his assets, while Kurt was wearing his silly work-out gear he never allowed anyone to see.
"Fancy seeing you here!" Blaine said, grinning ear to ear. "This is my colleague Mandy's second job. She likes it far better than being a barista, so she's always begging us to come to her classes so that she'll get more hours of yoga and will have to do fewer shifts at Starbucks."
Kurt, embarrassed at being caught in this position and this outfit, reacted more sharply than he'd otherwise have done. "Why are you always everywhere I go?! Honestly, I can't go anywhere or do anything these days without bumping into you!"
Blaine's eyes widened, and his grin slid off his face in two seconds flat. "Oh, I… Sorry…"
Kurt felt like an ass for treating Blaine this way. A sharp pang of regret went through him as he saw his friend scurry off to the other side of the room.
Blaine didn't look Kurt's way at all during the lesson, and hurried out of the room as soon as Mandy thanked them all for coming.
Kurt cursed under his breath and sped after him, leaving his yoga mat where it was.
"Blaine. Blaine! Wait!"
Blaine stopped and turned around. His posture was tense and his jaw set. "So now you do want to talk to me?"
Kurt grimaced. "Sorry, sorry! I was a total jerk, and I'm sorry! I'm just…"
"Tired of me and you don't want to hang out with me anymore now that you're part of this… polycule or whatever the term is?"
"What? No! That's… Wait, what's a polycule?"
"Aren't you dating Elliott?" Blaine asked. "And the rest of his band as well, like the girl you came here with today?"
"Are you nuts? I'm gay!"
"Well, then what were you talking about at the concert?" Blaine wanted to know. "It sounded like you were having sex with the lot of them."
"What? You really are crazy. I was just saying they're all great performers. Don't know where you got the sex part from."
"Fact is that since you know them, you don't want to hang out with simple old me anymore," Blaine sighed.
"That has nothing to do with them!" Kurt said. "It's just…"
"Just what?"
Kurt bit his lip and looked at Blaine. "Can I be honest with you?"
"Always."
Kurt squared his shoulders as he summoned up the courage to confess his crush. "Well, the truth is I've been into you for months. Like… I would like us to be more than just friends. But you clearly don't. Which is okay, only… I just need some time away from you to get rid of this stupid crush. But I can't seem to get away from you. You're just everywhere. That's why I got frustrated, but I should never have worked that out on you. It's a me problem, not a you problem."
Blaine's mouth fell open.
Not a very encouraging response, Kurt thought. He's clearly never seen me as dating material. Ah well.
After a long pause, Blaine finally spoke.
"Kurt… Me too! I… I've liked you forever. I just thought… you were way out of my league. You've got upperclassmen like Adam chatting you up! You've got rock stars like Elliott interested in you! There's no way I can compete with them. I thought friendship was the most I could hope for."
A slow smile unfurled on Kurt's face. "You're right. There's no competition."
Blaine's face fell.
"And you know why?" Kurt continued. "Because for me, there has never been anyone but you since the day we met."
Hope dawned on Blaine's face. "So would you…"
"Like to go on a real date with you sometime? Yes! I thought you'd never ask!"
They heard slow clapping behind them. It proved to be Dani, who was holding Kurt's yoga mat as well as her own, and smirking for all she was worth. "I knew it! I knew he was more than just a friend. Well, I'll tell Elliott you're off the market, shall I? He was still holding out hope."
Kurt took his mat from her. "Thank you, Dani. Yes, please, tell him. I like him very much as a friend, but I only want to date Blaine."
Blaine slipped his hand in Kurt's, and together, they said goodbye to Dani and headed out.
"Aww, too cute," they heard her comment, and they grinned at each other.
"Wanna kiss me and give her even more of a show?" Kurt whispered to Blaine.
Blaine hesitated. "Don't you want to go on a date first?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "We've been on hundreds of dates. We just never officially called them that. Kiss me."
"As you wish."
And then Blaine's lips found Kurt's and the whole world melted away for a moment.
By the time they resurfaced, Dani was gone, and Kurt was happier than he'd ever been. He beamed at Blaine, who beamed right back and held out his hand for Kurt to take. "Come on, Mr. Hummel, let's go on that date."
THE END