"Hello, Im Kurt Hummel. Ive been into fashion my whole life. I really think Id do well here, because I truly believe that this is what Im meant to do," he said, folding his hands in his lap.

"Your whole life?"

"I set up a demonstration of some of the outfits Ive put together for you to see. I hope youll take interest in them,"  he handed the iPad over to Isabelle Wright, the woman sitting before him. He stared at her nervously, hoping shed have some sort of a decent answer.

She stared at the pictures before her for so long, that Kurt could feel his nerves wearing off. He now had the sensation that she hated what she was looking at, and there was no hope for him.

"Kurt... these are amazing," she finally said, setting the iPad on her desk. "Ive never seen anything like it before. I think Vogue.com could use someone like you on board."

Cupping his hand over his mouth, he squealed  "are you serious?"

She laughed, "of course Im serious. I wouldnt say that to anyone walking through my door. I think you could be the next greatest thing in my project... Theres no other option to consider. I want you to start first thing Monday morning."

He did the math in his head. Monday was six days away. He had six days to prepare for his new career. Certainly, he would have to tell his boss at the diner without a two week notice, but that was hardly losing much.

"Thank you so much," he shook her hand fiercely. "I will see you Monday." Scooping up his iPad, he dodged for the door, nearly knocking someone over in his excitement.

Out on the street, Kurt dialed Dylans phone number, eager to tell him. Of course, Dylan was already working, so he didnt answer. But Kurt was so excited, he had to tell someone.

His fingers hovered over Blaines name in his phone. "Blaine," he whispered. He hadnt heard from him in a week. The last time they talked was the day Kurt suggested he tell Rachel the truth. Blaine promised to call as soon as he had, but Kurt handt heard anything since.

It meant two things. Either Blaine hadnt told Rachel, and he was too ashamed to face Kurt and admit that he couldnt do it. Or Blaine had told Rachel, and he was definitely too ashamed to face him. Unless something bad happened to him, but that was unlikely, because Rachel would have told him.

He had to know why Blaine was avoiding him.

New Message To Blaine:

Blaaaaaine. I just had my interview with Vogue.com and you wont believe what happened!

It got absolutely no response. Kurt waited all day, checking his phone regularly, but Blaine never replied. So Kurt decided to take further action. 

"Kurt?" Rachel questioned, when she opened the apartment door to him later that evening. 

"Is Blaine home?" he went straight to the point. He tried peering around her but couldnt see anything. 

"N-no, Im sorry, hes not," she replied, shaking her head. "But if you want to come in - "

"Do you know why hes been avoiding me all week?" he tried. He knew he could trust that Rachel would be honest with him. After all, they had once told each other everything.

She bit her lip and crossed her arms over her chest. "Kurt, maybe you should come back another time. Weve had a really busy week, and Ill let Blaine know you came by, okay?"

"But - "

"Im sorry, Kurt," she shut the door in his face.

Muttering to himself, Kurt went back to the street. It didnt make sense. Blaine wouldnt answer, and Rachel wouldnt give him details. Maybe he had told her and left, and she didnt know where he went. Maybe he really wasnt going to find Blaine.

He went back to his own apartment, feeling more anxious about Blaine now than he had been before. If something bad had happened, Kurt would feel guilty for suggesting that he tell Rachel anything.

Dylan greeted him at the door. "Hey. hows it going?" he smiled.

"I got the job!" Kurt said happily, temporarily putting Blaine from his mind. This was supposed to be his time to celebrate his step in the right direction. He couldnt let Blaine bring him down.

"You did?" Dylan rushed oven rand kissed him. "Thats wonderful. We should celebrate. Lets get our coats and head out to dinner." 

They made their way to a restaurant not far from their apartment. It was a place they had been to many times before, but the gesture still made Kurt feel happy. Getting a job at Vogue.com was truly a dream, and Kurt couldnt believe he had walked in and gotten it that quickly. Isabelle barely even took the time to consider anything about him. It was his designs that won her over.

He was so glad that he had Dylan to celebrate with, but something was nagging at the back of his mind. 

Blaine.

Why wasnt he answering his phone calls or text messages? Why was Rachel acting so strange? She lived with Blaine, surely she had to know why he was avoiding Kurt. Unless Blaine hadnt come out to her, and he was being secretive with her too. Either way, Kurt was worried, and he kept checking his phone to see if Blaine had replied.

"Are you expecting a call?" Dylan asked, just as their food arrived.

"Huh?" Kurt looked up.

"Youve basically had your phone in your hand since we got here. Whats wrong?" he eyed Kurt suspiciously.

"Oh... um, its my dad. I called him earlier, and he never replied. I just wanted to check up on him and see how hes doing. And I wanted to tell him about my job," he lied. it was the safest answer, because Dylan would have a fit if he knew Kurt was ignoring him for a text from Blaine.

"Maybe you should call him again," Dylan suggested, cutting into the steak before him.

"Now?" Kurt asked. How awkward would that be, if he called his dad and had to act like he had already tried getting a hold of him? He stared at his phone nervously.

"Sure, tell Burt I said hi," he smiled.

"Okay..." Kurt dialed his fathers phone number and waited. 

He answered almost immediately, "Hey, kiddo. Hows it going?"

"Great. How are things with you?" Kurt asked. He sighed in relief. This was easy. Dylan hadnt even looked up from his steak, to question why Burt  had answered so quickly, when he couldnt call back before.

"Im good. Keeping busy," he answered. 

"Dad, I got the job at Vogue.com," Kurt told him.

"Kurt, thats wonderful news! Why didnt you start the conversation with that?" he laughed. "Oh, Kurt, Im so proud of you. Carole and I are both proud of you. This is wonderful. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, kid."

"Ill see you soon enough. Maybe well come for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I dont know. Well figure something out, I promise. I miss you guys," he admitted. He had only been away from home a little over two months, but this was the first time he had really been away from his dad, and sometimes he missed him like crazy.

"I miss you too, Kurt. Well see each other soon, dont worry," his fathers soothing voice reassured him.

"Okay," Kurt nodded. "Well, listen, Im out to dinner with Dylan right now, but Ill call you again later this week, okay?"

"All right. I love you, Kurt," he replied.

"Love you too," Kurt hung up and turned back to Dylan. "I guess he just forgot to call me back earlier. Hes busy, so I understand. At least I got to talk to him, you know?"

"Yeah," Dylan replied. "Now can you please put your phone down and enjoy your meal?"

When Friday came, and Kurt still hadnt heard from Blaine, he began to feel sick with worry. In the two short months Kurt had known Blaine, he had never done anything like this. It was so unusual, and Kurt was tempted to go back to his apartment and demand a better answer from Rachel. But he knew it wouldnt do him any good.

Instead, Kurt went to the hospital, in hopes that he would find Blaine there. He always went there on a Friday morning. He wouldnt miss something like that unless he was in trouble.

Kurt made his way into the same room he had found Blaine in the day he first saw Savannah. She was there, with a sheet of paper in front of her. Crayons lay on the table next to her hand, and she stared at the wall aimlessly.

"Savannah?" Kurt asked timidly, kneeling down next to her. "Hi, my names Kurt. Im a friend of Blaine."

"Hes not coming today, is he?" she asked miserably.

"What makes you say that?" Kurt asked.

"He didnt come last week either," she stared at him with large, green eyes. They were full of disappointment. "Now he made you come here to tell me that, didnt he?"

Blaine hadnt been there last week. it was only a couple days after Kurt had spoken to him last. What had happened in those two days that made Blaine skip his time at the hospital? And why wasnt he here now? Fear began to settle in. If Blaine was really this silent, something had to be wrong, and Kurt didnt know what to do.

"I dont know, sweetie. I havent talked to Blaine," he gently touched her arm. "But I can spend a little time with you if you want. What are you coloring?" he asked, glancing down at the picture in front of her.

"Snow White," she said quietly. "Blaine and I drew Cinderella two weeks ago, so I wanted to draw someone else for him today."

"I like Snow White. Shes really cool. Do you mind if I draw with you?" he gave her a gentle smile. 

"Okay," she smiled sweetly, handing him a yellow crayon. "But I hope you can draw as well as Blaine can."

Part of Kurt wanted to stick around because he felt bad that she had felt abandoned for the second week in a row. She obviously looked forward to her visits from Blaine, and he didnt want to leave such a sweet little girl disappointed. But the other part of him was hoping Blaine would show up while he was there. Kurt would have him cornered, and he could finally get information out of him.

For the first time in over a week, he finally got his wish.

After half an hour of coloring with Savannah, someone placed a hand on Kurts shoulder, causing him to jump. He looked up and found hazel eyes staring at him. Quickly pulling himself off the chair he was in, he said, "Blaine, what are you doing here?"

"The same thing I do here every Friday morning. I came to see Savannah," he pointed toward her.

"Blainey!" she tossed her crayon. Blaine bent down to give her a hug and she said, "Im really glad youre here."

"I know. Im sorry I didnt make it last week.  I was sick, and I couldnt come," he knelt down beside her, placing his hand under her chin. "But Im here now. I was just a little late today. Will you forgive me?"

"Duh," she nodded, giving him another hug.

"I see you met my friend, Kurt," Blaine smiled, glancing at him. "Isnt he nice?"

"Yeah, but hes not an artist like you," she winked at him

Holding up his own picture of Snow White, Kurt said, "you may need to fix this for her."

Holding back a laugh, Blaine said, "I dont think there is help for that picture, but Ill make my own, and then well see who the better artist is?"  Pulling up a chair, he began drawing his own picture.

Kurt stayed with them, hoping hed still get the chance to talk to Blaine. His excuse for not coming the week before had been that he was sick. If he was sick, he had gotten over it, because he looked perfectly healthy. But was he so sick that he couldnt answer his phone at all? Or was his illness just an excuse to satisfy Savannah?

By the time Blaine was ready to leave, he told Savannah, "I promise, I wont be late next week, okay?" 

"Okay," she said, giving him one final hug. 

It was nice meeting you, Savannah," Kurt handed her his poorly drawn picture of Snow White. "I hope youll hold on to this for me. I know Blaines came out better but I tried."

"Its beautiful, Kurt," she gave him a hug as well, kissing him on the cheek. "Will I see you again?"

"Maybe. I cant come every Friday like Blaine, but Ill come see you when I get the chance," he told her. He enjoyed spending time with her, but his new job with Vogue would keep him from making the weekly visits Blaine put in.

"Okay, bye," she waved, satisfied with his answer.

Kurt and Blaine made their way out into the hallway, and the high energy that came with being around Savannah decreased, and Kurt suddenly didnt know what to say.

"Why are you here?" Blaine asked, making his way toward the elevator.

"I was hoping Id run into you," he said truthfully. There was no pointing lying to him, not after the stress Blaine had put him through that week. "Its a good thing I came, because she was really worried that you werent going to come today, like you didnt last week. You know, she was really bummed out that you didnt come."

"You were here last week too?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, but you werent either," he said bluntly. Stepping on to the empty elevator, Kurt turned to Blaine and said, "Im gonna get right to the point, Blaine. Youve been avoiding my phone calls for over a week. Is there a reason youve been ignoring me?"

"Do I have to reply to every text message I get?" he said harshly, firmly gripping the bar next to him. Blaine kept his focus on the doors, avoiding Kurts gaze.

"Theres no reason for you to ignore that many," Kurt placed his hands on his hips. Giving Blaine the best bitch-face he could muster, he said, "I dont think you were sick last week."

"Why does it matter to you?" Blaine said, his temper clearly rising. He stormed out the elevator and Kurt followed him. he was avoiding this. There was something more to his story that he wasnt telling Kurt.

"Because I told you that I care about you, Blaine," Kurt grabbed his arm and stopped him. Blaine turned around to face him, rolling his eyes and Kurt said, "Last I knew, you were about to tell your girlfriend one of the hardest things you were ever gonna have to tell someone... You told me that you would  call me, and then I didnt hear from you for over a week. I was worried about you."

"You werent worried about me," Blaine crossed his arms over his chest .

"Of course I was," Kurt said hotly. "I only showed up at your apartment, sent you several text messages, called you more than enough, and showed up here to make sure you were at least sticking to some sort of routine. You never showed up at the coffee shop. Rachel practically shut me out the other day. I spent most of my morning here to make sure that you were okay."

"That seems a little crazy," Blaine said flatly.

"Why is it crazy?" Kurt placed his hands on his hips. "because I called you too much? Because I told you I would be here for you, and I wanted to hold that end of the deal."

"We dont even know each other that well, Kurt! I dont have to tell you everything," Blaines voice began to rise.

That stung. Kurt felt his heart drop. He wasnt expecting it to turn into this. "You know, i thought we did know each other pretty well. I thought we knew each other well enough to consider ourselves friends. When I got my job with Vogue the other day, you were one of the first people I wanted to tell, because I value our friendship." 

Blaine opened his mouth to speak and nothing came out. He closed it again and hung his head. Staring at the floor, he took a deep breath, before he said, "I do too. Its just that..."

"You know you can tell me anything," Kurt said quietly. "I care about you, Blaine, and I have been worried."

"You mean that?" Blaine whispered, looking into his eyes.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Kurt asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Why was this so hard for him to understand?

Blaine stared at Kurt with a hard expression on his face. he stayed in that same position for so long, Kurt began to feel uncomfortable. He didnt know why Blaine was acting like this. It didnt make sense. But in time, Blaines expression softened and he quietly said, "no."

"No?" Kurt repeated.

Blaines lip began to quiver, and tears formed in his eyes. He let his arms drop and he began shaking his head. "Thats the worst part, its that you do care," he said. "Its that I care so much too."

"What?" Kurt asked, confused. How did Blaine go from anger to tears?

Tears began to roll down Blaines cheeks and his voice shook as he said, "I wasnt trying to push you away. Ive just been so stressed, and I didnt know what to do."

"Its okay. We all get a little on edge when were stressed," Kurt reassured him.

"I didnt know things would turn out like this," he said, burying his face in his hands.

"Come here," Kurt led him into a small waiting room and guided him over to a seat. Blaines hands were shaking, as he continued to cry. Kurt sat down with him and pulled him into a hug. "Its okay, Blaine. I know its not an easy thing. Ive been there, and its a long difficult road.  But youre gonna get through it, and youll find someone that loves you, and you wont need to feel ashamed about it."

Blaines tears turned into sobs, and his body began to tremble. Kurt held him tightly, rubbing circles on his back, trying to shush him. He understood now. Blaine had obviously come out to Rachel, thats why he wasnt at the apartment the day Kurt showed up. She probably kicked him out. Blaine was so distraught over the whole thing. Kurt felt guilty for being angry with him. He knew this would be difficult for Blaine.

He didnt know how long they stayed there, and he didnt care. No one seemed to notice. They were in a hospital. People were bound to be upset sometimes, and people respected their privacy. Kurt continued to comfort Blaine, until he was ready to calm down.

When Blaines body went limp, and Kurt felt that he was finally done crying. He pulled back and stared at Blaines red face. He wiped a tear off his cheek and said, "I wish I had known you were having such a hard time. I told you that I would be here for you."

"You wouldnt understand," Blaine mumbled, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his sweater.

"Of course I would. Ive been there, remember?" Kurt gave him a smal smile. "I want to be here for you." Blaine just stared at him with wide eyes and Kurt added, "Im guessing she didnt take it well."

"What?" Blaine narrowed his eyes at this.

"You told Rachel, didnt you?"

Again, Blaine just stared at him.

"Did she kick you out?" Kurt pressed for information. "You can always stay with me. I know Dylan would have a hard time, especially if he found out you are gay, but wed make it work."

"No," Blaine shook his head. "No, she didnt kick me out." He stared down at his hands.

"She wasnt upset?"

"No," Blaine whispered.

"You did tell her that I kissed you, didnt you?" Kurt was beginning to wonder if Blaine was talking about the same thing. He seemed so lost in thought. It was like he was having a different conversation than Kurt.

"Um," he started.

"Please tell me you did, because you cant keep playing games, Blaine. Sooner or later shes gonna have to know," Kurt gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I told you I can help you."

Shaking his head, Blaine cleared his throat and said, "No, yeah, um... I definitely told her."

"And she was okay?"

"She...wast thrilled, but I mean, Im still living with her so..." he stared down at their linked hands.

Kurt eyed him suspiciously. Something about this conversation felt wrong. Blaine was acting so strange. How could he be completely honest, when he was acting like that? "Are you sure?" Kurt asked. He had really expected Rachel to take it hard. How does someone say theyre okay, when theyre boyfriend of three years just admitted to kissing someone else?

He nodded, "Yeah, um, Im definitely sure." he bit his lip. "Listen, I should go. I"ll talk to you later."

"Do you mean that?" Kurt asked, standing up with him. He couldnt handle letting Blaine walk away, with the possibility of Blaine ignoring him again. Itd drive him crazy.

"Yeah, youre right. I should have come to you... I wont avoid your calls anymore," Blaine quickly dodged out of the room, leaving Kurt standing there alone.

Blaine had never acted so strange before. This wasnt like him at all, and Kurt got the feeling that Blaine wasnt being totally honest with him.