Daniel swung his messenger bag over his shoulder and left his dorm room, only to be stopped a few feet later.

"Good morning," he said, grinning. He kissed Kurt on the cheek. "How are you?"

Kurt smirked. "Okay, I guess. You?"

"Pretty good considering I'm leaving tonight. You'll meet me in the hall to walk me out?"

"Of course."

Daniel swung an arm around Kurt's shoulder as they began walking. "You going to be okay without me?"

Kurt laughed, leaning into him. "I think I'll manage."

-0-

Blaine sat across from Kurt at breakfast and didn't say a word. He had discovered through past experience that it paid off more to listen than to speak.

"So Daniel's leaving after classes today, right?" Trent said, piling pancakes into his mouth.

Kurt nodded. "I'm meeting him in the hall to say goodbye."

"Oh la la," David mocked. "No fornicating in the hallway, please, Kurt. I could live without that." Realizing what he'd just said, he glanced at Blaine, his apology in his eyes.

"Anyway," Jeff interjected, "when are you going to get to see him again?"

"Not sure." Kurt played with his paper napkin, ripping the edges. "Maybe next weekend or something."

"Okay, hold on." Thad grinned devilishly. "We need the dirty little secrets."

"What?"

"Have you done it?" Thad explained. "It. Popped your cherry. Gotten laid. Had sex."

Kurt blushed violently. "No! I mean we're only just…we've never even—ugh, Thad…"

"Thad, I think we need to change 'Porcelain' to 'Tomato'—look how red he is!"

Blaine didn't stay for the rest of the conversation. He knew what he had to do. After classes, he was going to the hall and he was going to talk to Kurt—he was going to make him listen.

-0-

When Blaine approached, Kurt was just standing there, leaning against the wall. The windows were giving some light to the hall but Blaine came through the shadows. For a moment, he was simply transfixed by the other boy.

He was absolutely stunning…

"Blaine?"

He snapped out of his thoughts.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to say something to you."

Kurt frowned. "Okay—what's up?"

Blaine took a few slow steps forward, almost apprehensive, but then he looked up. He saw Kurt's eyes, he saw his lips… He grabbed Kurt's blazer, pulling him too close too harshly. Without waiting for permission or giving Kurt a chance to get away, he sealed their mouths together.

God, but he'd missed this. Kurt tasted fantastic and his lips were soft and perfect and his scent was completely attacking Blaine's senses. The kiss sent sparks straight to his belly and he was about to deepen it when he was suddenly being pushed backwards.

"What the hell was that?" Kurt hissed.

Blaine opened his mouth but no sound came out. Instead, he reached for Kurt again and the younger boy shoved him again.

"No," he said firmly. "Don't you dare. You do not get to do this to me. I told you that I'm done—"

"What if I'm not?"

Kurt's mouth fell open. "You can't be serious."

"That thing that you don't know what you have until it's gone? Totally legit."

"Blaine—"

"I know you're crazy about Daniel and all that shit but, hell, Kurt. I can't stop… I can't stop thinking about you. You said to have to risk getting hurt to be happy and shit, I don't know. All I know is that I'm not happy. And the last time I can remember that I was happy…was with you."

"You can't do this to me, Blaine. You can't just play with how I… How I… Daniel…"

"Doesn't deserve you. Tell me honestly, Kurt. You can't say that you don't feel something when I kiss you."

"I don't want a sex buddy, Blaine!" he said exasperatedly. "I want a boyfriend! Daniel is exactly what I want!"

"So why didn't you push me away sooner? I'm what you want."

"What do you want?"

Blaine took a step towards him and then another when Kurt flinched back. "You," he whispered. "I want you, Kurt."

Kurt appeared not to hear him. "You don't want commitment, you don't want a boyfriend—you want sex. I can't give you that. And I don't want to give you that."

"Kurt—"

"Please, Blaine. Daniel… He's good to me. He's sweet and kind and funny and he likes me for me. I could never do this to him. I…I like him."

Okay, he obviously had to play a different angle. "Do you remember what it felt like with me? How we couldn't wait to be alone together? The crackling energy?" Blaine took the final step to close the space between them. Kurt didn't move back. "The want?"

Kurt swallowed tightly, looking down at his feet.

"You don't feel that way with him, do you?"

"Just because it's less intense physically doesn't mean it isn't real."

"But do you want anything from him? When you look at him do you want to kiss him and let him touch you?"

"Blaine, you're crossing a line."

"You want me, Kurt. You know it. You never really got over me. So stop hiding from it—stop being afraid. Why won't you trust me?"

"Because you haven't done anything to make you trustworthy." Kurt finally stepped back, looking him in the eye. "I'm dating Daniel. I'm sorry. But he's what I want."

"Wow," Blaine laughed. "Payback sure is a bitch, isn't it?"

"Blaine, this isn't payback!"

"Then why are you arguing with me? You want me! That kiss just proved it!"

"All that kiss proved was that you're an asshole and you'll do anything to can to break down happy people because misery loves company."

Blaine's gaze flickered down to his lips. "You're the smart one, Kurt. You sure about that?"

The tension in the air was palpable.

"Because Daniel doesn't kiss like I do, I think. Daniel doesn't say the things I do. Daniel doesn't make you feel the way I do—isn't that right? You're miserable with him. He's just your rebound."

"Don't say that," Kurt whispered.

"But it's not just the physical stuff. It's the ache in your chest you get when you see the person you like. It's that painful empty feeling because you want them so badly… Or that excitement you get sometimes when they're talking to you—it doesn't feel like that with him. I can tell."

"You don't know anything."

"I know enough." Kurt laughed, rolling his eyes. "So kiss me again," Blaine argued. "Prove to me that it means nothing—prove to me that you feel absolutely nothing for me. Kiss me and tell me that you don't feel it too." The brunette looked surprised. "You're taking it the wrong way, Kurt. God, yes, you're hot and sexy and desirable, but… That's not all I want."

"You mean…"

"I like you, Kurt. I…I think I more than like you, actually."

"But…what made you… Just…why?"

"We don't have enough time to go through the whole list." Blaine tilted his head, leaning in to kiss Kurt again.

"Wait."

"Make up your mind, Kurt," he whispered, lips a breath away from Kurt's. "I'm sick and tired of waiting. I'm sick of wanting and not being able to have. I. Want. You."

"He's my boyfriend, Blaine."

And there it was. Exactly what Blaine had known was coming. Yeah, Kurt wanted him. But Kurt was too nice to break up with a sure fire thing for something that he didn't think would last. Kurt would rather have the boring adoration than the exciting fling.

"I can't… I…"

Blaine stepped back. "Alright. I know when I'm beat. Tell him I say congratulations. He got a great guy."

-0-

Kurt got back to his dorm after saying goodbye to Daniel. Should he have done this? Was what he just did really the right choice? After Blaine had told him…

"Oh, God," he said, flopping onto his bed. "Blaine's in love with me."

And you love him back.

"No, no, no…"

You want him. You know you're at least attracted to him.

"Attraction isn't the same thing as love."

But you don't see yourself with Daniel. Daniel is good for feeling good about yourself—for having someone to hold you and kiss you, but not love you. Daniel doesn't love you.

"Blaine loves me…"

"Kurt?"

He sat up, wiping his eyes. "Flint. Hi."

"Are you okay?" Flint leaned in the doorway, crossing his arms. "Did something happen with Daniel?"

"I… Yeah, I guess. Kind of."

Flint stepped into the room slowly, closing the door behind him. "Do you want to talk about it? Did you guys fight or something?"

"No. It wasn't a particularly long conversation."

"What happened?"

The brunette sighed. "Blaine told me he's in love with me."

"No way."

"Yeah, I—hold on. What are you grinning about?"

Flint raised his hands to his face to try and cover his smile, but laughed. "Kurt, it's just…" He ran a hand through this hair before placing them both on his hips. "Everyone knows that you two used to…fool around. It wasn't exactly a secret. We all figured that after he saw you with Daniel, he'd get insanely jealous and admit how insane he was about you."

"Why didn't you try to stop me from dating Daniel then?"

"Because that's the push Blaine needed! Oh." Flint frowned. "What did you do? You… Did you reject him?"

"In every sense of the word."

"Shit." Flint sighed, sitting at the edge of his bed. "Well now what?"

"What are you asking me for? You guys were the ones playing matchmaker."

"You are interested in him, aren't you?"

Kurt groaned. "I don't know! I… Well, yeah, apparently, I am because I just did something really stupid."

"What?"

The countertenor gnawed on his bottom lip for a second. "Promise not to tell him?" When Flint nodded, he took a deep breath. "I broke up with Daniel."