In a split second Kurt felt how Blaine tensed. Before he could even think of what the hell was wrong, Blaine was ten feet away from him, looking pale and horrified.

"Oh my god!" He whispered, his trembling hand covering his mouth. "Oh my god!"

Kurt just stood there, trying to stop panting because Blaine had kind of rocked his world a few seconds ago and his mind didn't really catch up with what was happening right now.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry. So so sorry." Blaine started apologising frantically. "This shouldn't have...Fuck! It shouldn't have happened!"

It shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened. Blaine's words were echoing in Kurt's head and Kurt knew he was just a second away from crying. He forced himself to close his eyes and took a calming breath.

"Yeah." He said, defeat evident in his voice. "It shouldn't have happened." He repeated and turned around for walkout.

"No, Kurt, please, don't go. I...fuck!" Blaine cursed, desperately searching for some coherent words but failing miserably.

"Blaine?" Wes appeared at the door, completely soaked. "I think there is a problem with water in your bathroom."

"What the fuck, Wes?"

"Hey! I haven't done anything. It seems like the pipe broke or something."

"Which bathroom?"

"Next to the kitchen."

"Great! Just great!" Blaine threw his hand into air and disbelievingly shook his head. This was exactly what he needed to deal with right now.

"I'll be right back, okay? Please, don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." He told Kurt before he ran inside to control the damage. He stopped the water flow by shutting off valve in the downstairs bathroom and made a mental note to call a plumber the next day. And to give Wes How to fix household problems 101, because seriously, Dalton might be a great school but it really hadn't prepared them for living a practical life at all. He rushed back to the terrace but when he got there, Kurt was gone. He went to the kitchen, where he hoped Kurt would be. The kitchen always made upset Kurt feel better. And Kurt was definitely upset about Blaine's behaviour. That much was obvious. This time it wasn't the kitchen where Kurt hid in from of the world. Blaine looked for him everywhere. He searched his whole apartment several times but it seemed like Kurt had disappeared into thin air.

"Nick? I can't find Kurt. Have you seen him?" Blaine asked his best friend when he ran into him on the staircase.

"Kurt? He left like twenty minutes ago."

"What?!" Nick gave him a disapproving look that Blaine hated so much.

"Don't act so surprised. If you hadn't ignored him the whole evening, he would still have been here. He apologized for leaving so soon but he apparently wasn't feeling well. So you can congratulate yourself for being an asshole but there won't be any more of Kurt tonight."

"I need to find him, Nick. Please, don't destroy my apartment while I'm away." Nick watched him intently and even his alcohol dazed brain could notice Blaine's guilty features.

"Blaine Devon Anderson, what the hell have you done?!"

"Something stupid. You can yell at me for it later. I need to go and find him."

Rachel Berry was a woman of routines. Since her early age she'd always kept her schedule and she didn't like to change it. She'd tried to be someone else once and it hadn't fit her well. She'd ended up dating a male whore and it really wasn't something she liked to think about. Rachel Berry needed eight hour beauty sleep before a flight. That's the reason; she was peacefully sleeping in her bed while many of her friends were having fun at Nick's and Jeff's birthday party. She still found it amusing that the two of them were born in one week, and let's say, she was a bit jealous that Kurt was two months older than her and she couldn't share birthday parties with him. Nonetheless, no matter how much she loved Kurt, she was about to throw some serious fit at him for waking her up in the middle of the night. He knew better than anyone not to mess up with her sleep! She furiously walked to the door and opened it, spewing words before it got fully opened.

"Kurt Hummel, I swear to god if you keep forgetting your keys I'll...Blaine! Hi! What are you doing here?"

"Emh...Hi, Rachel." Blaine said quietly. "Sorry for waking you up. I was hoping for Kurt to open the door. I need to talk to him." Rachel looked daggers at him. What the hell?!

"He isn't home. He is in YOUR apartment. At Nick's and Jeff's birthday party." She hissed angrily. Wow, pissed Rachel was even worse than pissed Kurt and Blaine thought that there wasn't anything more terrifying in this world than Kurt being mad.

"Well, he left like less than an hour ago and I, ehm...his phone is off and...I might have upset him a bit and I'd like to apologize."

"He is not home, Blaine. If he is angry with you and he knows you might look for him he won't come home. He is probably somewhere in the city. Go home and you can talk tomorrow."

"No, Rachel, you don't understand. I need to talk to him tonight!"

"Blaine," Rachel gave up her firm demeanour because Blaine was giving her the puppy dog eyes and she had no choice but surrendered. "You know why Kurt and I get along so well? Why we are best friends? Because even though we are as different as two people can be, we are still very similar in some things. He is a diva. If he stormed out of the party he won't calm down so soon so just let it be for tonight, okay?"

"I can't, Rachel."

"Okay. You can wait for him here but you will have to wait alone. I need to go back to sleep."

"I'm worried about him."

"He is a big boy. He knows the city very well. He'll be fine. It's not the first time he disappeared after a disagreement with someone. I'm used to it. Come in."

"Thanks but no thanks. I need to find him."

"Blaine, this is New York. How do you want to find him? He doesn't have any particular space to go to when he is upset." Blaine face lit up at that.

"Oh my god, Rachel. That's it!" Rachel frowned, not really getting what Blaine was talking about.

"I gotta go. Have a nice flight! Bye."

Tears were streaming down his face and his head hurt from crying so much but he couldn't find the strength to stop. There were only loud sobs recoiling in the otherwise silent room. Kurt felt pathetic. And stupid. He was heartbroken but the reason for his misery wasn't Blaine's rejection. He could live with rejection, it's not like he'd never gone through something like that. What he hadn't gone through before was losing a friend. And there was no way Blaine would treat him the same after those unfortunate events from the near past. How could he have put their whole relationship into jeopardy? So, so stupid. Damn it! Kurt was pissed. Pissed at himself, pissed at Blaine, pissed at the whole world. If he had any energy in him, he would probably kick something. Another heart wrenching sob was on its way out when the door of the loft opened and Blaine came in. Kurt jumped on his feet in an instant and wiped his tears quickly away.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked gingerly, closely taking in Kurt's dishevelled appearance. Kurt cleared his throat and kept his head up. He wasn't going to break down in front of Blaine.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you would come here tonight. I'm just going to leave."

"No. Don't go, I told you to come here whenever you want. Please, stay. I actually came here because I hoped I would find you here. We need to talk."

"I think there is nothing to talk about. You've made yourself pretty clear."

"No, Kurt. You don't understand..."

"I don't understand? On the contrary, Blaine! I think I understand pretty well. It shouldn't have happened! I got the message! What is there left to say? You kissed me and regretted it seconds later so please, don't try to explain or apologize because it's not going to make me feel any better!"

"Kurt, it's not like that…" Blaine tried to interrupt him but Kurt was stubborn as hell.

"It's not like that? And what is it like Blaine? You kissed me like you meant it and then you suddenly changed your mind! You fooled me into thinking that there was something more between us while we were in Ohio only to mostly ignore me after we came back. You changed me for my brother for God's sake! It isn't like that? So what is it like?!"

"Of course it isn't like…"

"Well, I believe it is exactly the way I think it is and…"

"Would you just shut up for a minute?!" Blaine shouted and surprised Kurt to the point where he closed his mouth.

"Thank you. And sorry for yelling...Just give me few minutes of your time and then I'll go." Blaine took a deep breath and outstretched the hand he was keeping behind his back so far.

"These are for you." He held the bouquet of flowers that seemed to be halfway to death. "I know they are kind of...not so alive anymore but they are the best you can get at this hour at 24/7 down your street." Kurt chuckled and took the flowers, his anger lapsing rapidly.

"Thank you." He whispered and new tears formed in his eyes, however this time he managed to keep them at the bay.

"Well, I think I didn't make myself clear enough on the terrace. What I meant was that it shouldn't have happened like that. Not that it shouldn't have happened at all because to be honest I wanted to kiss you for a long time. I...I had the plan. I decided to ask you out on the second day of our trip to Ohio. I talked to Finn when we went to buy the flowers for Carol. And we were brainstorming the ideas for the perfect date. I rescheduled the recording because I knew I wouldn't be able to be in your presence without ruining the surprise and that is the reason why I acted so odd lately...I wanted to ask you out tonight after the party...I had this plan for tomorrow. I would take you out on a date and then walk you home and kiss you goodnight with hope that maybe you would like to go out with me again...I...I'm not good at this stuff, Kurt...Like romance and all. I've never really done something like that and I don't know exactly what to do...I really care about you and the truth is that I need you in my life and if this isn't something that you want then I hope that we can still be friends...Okay. I should probably get to the punchline because my cab is waiting outside and I need to go back home to prevent possible water damages...Kurt, will you go out with me tomorrow? Or today because it's after midnight already but you know what I mean..." Blaine sent him a hopeful look with an unsure smile and the only response Kurt managed to give was nodding of his head.

"Great! I'll pick you up at six. Please, stay here till morning because Rachel was a bit pissed when I woke her up. Better let her leave for Ohio without any other incidents...or you can come back to the party with me…"

"I think I'll stay here."

"Okay...so good night. I'll see you later." Blaine waved to him and bit his lip, trying to suppress the big smile that was forming on his face.

"See you later." Kurt waited a few heartbeats to make sure Blaine was on his way back home before he squealed. He had a date with Blaine. He had a DATE with BLAINE! He turned his phone on to send some love to Finn and it immediately signalled a few voicemail messages and one text that made his smile even wider. All of them from Blaine, of course.

I forgot to tell you - the dress code is formal. Can't wait to see you. x - Blaine

Kurt buzzed Blaine in exactly at six p.m. He liked how punctual Blaine was. He had no idea where they were going because Blaine kept it a secret. They'd exchanged lots of texts during the day and Kurt couldn't help but feel giddy all the time. Because, hey, he was having a date with Blaine! Yay!

Blaine knocked on the door and Kurt opened it immediately. Blaine was standing there, stunning as ever in his dark grey suit and purple shirt, with a bouquet of lively looking flowers in his hands.

"Hi." Kurt greeted him with a smile.

"Hi." Blaine breathed back and handed him the flowers. "These are for you."

"Thank you. I love sunflowers."

"I know." Blaine said proudly and Kurt giggled at the triumph written all over his face.

"Come in while I put these in water, then we can go."

"Okay. The car is waiting in front of the building." Kurt didn't question him. He was pretty sure that Blaine wasn't a driver of the car but he decided not to ask anything. Blaine had put a lot into the evening and Kurt just wanted to enjoy it.

The car was a limo that took them to The Metropolitan Opera. Kurt was dumbstruck. Blaine played the big cards tonight.

"What are we seeing?" Kurt asked breathlessly.

"Puccini's La Bohéme. Let's go." Kurt got out of the car and followed Blaine inside. They got into their box and Kurt couldn't believe that he was on a date, with the most amazing man he'd ever had a pleasure to meet, in The Metropolitan Opera and their seats were on a balcony.

"Which seats are ours?" Kurt asked after he took the view of the whole surrounding.

"All of them."

"W-what?"

"We have the whole box."

"But we don't need six seats."

"I know but I wouldn't be comfortable with others in here…" Blaine mumbled and Kurt internally cursed at himself. He should have known! He sat down on the seat in the front row and patted the chair next to him.

"I like these two. What do you say?" He asked lightly, hoping that Blaine would forget about his stupid remark.

"They're great." Blaine answered with a forced smile and sat down, his eyes fixed on the balcony on the opposite side of the theatre.

"Blaine?" Kurt touched his knee to get his attention.

"Yeah?" Blaine turned his head to face him, his smile still not reaching his eyes.

"Thank you." Kurt told him sincerely. "I don't know how you managed to do this but I'm really happy that you did. This is amazing."

"You really like it?"

"I absolutely LOVE it, Blaine." Blaine smiled. This time for real and Kurt could see how his insecurities dropped away. He had his Blaine back.

Kurt enjoyed the performance. It was mindblowing. The cast was incredible and Kurt was sucked into the story so much that he sometimes forgot where he was.

Blaine enjoyed Kurt's enjoyment. He watched his date and his reactions more than what was going on the stage but he'd seen this production of La Bohéme three times already so he knew he would be able to have a decent conversation about it with Kurt later.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kurt asked him as the intermission began. Blaine just couldn't take his eyes off of him.

"Because you're beautiful." Kurt sent him a shy smile and blushed. Blaine finally gathered the courage and brushed his fingers over Kurt's hand. Kurt opened his palm and let Blaine's fingers slipped into his and they stayed like that for the rest of the performance. They clapped a lot but they never forgot to lace their fingers when they stopped.

Kurt talked passionately about the opera all the way to the restaurant they were dining in. He didn't even realized where they were going until they stood in front of one of the best - if not the best - restaurants in the city. It was the moment Kurt halted and went speechless.

"Before you say something," Blaine told him gently. "I love this place and I know you will too. I come here often because they have the best food in the whole world."

"I believe that, Blaine, but I think it's too much. We've already been to Opera. We can just go home and order pizza or something." Kurt suggested.

"Kurt, I know you're not used to this. And I didn't bring you here to show off or anything. I just really like it here. This is not a big deal for me. I literally grew up in here. If going inside would make you uncomfortable, then we won't go but I want you to think of it as an ordinary restaurant that a guy who likes you takes you to for dinner, okay?" Blaine pleaded with him with his eyes and the realization suddenly hit Kurt in a full force. For Kurt it might be Blaine unnecessarily spending money on him while Kurt would love a sandwich in a snack bar as long as it would be with Blaine but for Blaine it was a common thing going to places like this. For Blaine this was a snack bar and Kurt knew he would have to get used to it if he wanted to be with Blaine. And he did want to be with him.

"Let's go inside."

Blaine was right. The restaurant had the best food in the whole world and the best wine in the whole world and probably the best staff in the whole world as well. They had their own private salon and the girl who was serving them was the sweetest waitress Kurt had ever seen. She also knew what Blaine's usual order was so Kurt had a suspicion that Blaine had specifically requested her for the evening. Apart from the fact that Kurt had never been in a place like this and it made him nervous, dinner was lovely. Blaine apparently felt like home so Kurt was happy. They stayed until closing hours and then Blaine took Kurt home. He walked him to his door, their entwined fingers swinging between them.

"Thank you." Kurt said as they reached his apartment. "It was wonderful."

"I'm glad you liked it." Blaine responded and leaned forward to capture his lips with Kurt's. Something he'd been waiting to do for the whole night. It was a soft and sweet, lingering kiss, so different from the first one they'd shared the day before but shiver still went down Kurt's spine. Blaine broke the kiss, resting his forehead against Kurt's while Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders to bring him closer and Blaine dived in for another innocent kiss, just lips brushing lips, leaving them tingling and wanting for more. This time it was Kurt who stopped their kissing to whisper breathlessly: "Do you want to come inside?"

It wasn't a good thing to say though. Blaine stepped back and avoided the eye contact, which was enough of an indication for Kurt that he had once again said something stupid.

"Blaine?" He cupped Blaine's cheeks so he could look him in the eyes but Blaine closed them.

"I don't want you to be mad at me." Blaine admitted quietly.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because I'd rather go home…" Kurt hugged him. He hugged him tight and hoped the hug was comforting because he wasn't sure whether words would be enough. Blaine hesitated for a moment but then he returned the hug and nuzzled his nose into Kurt's neck and put a small kiss there.

"It's okay. I'm not mad...Would you maybe go out with me tomorrow?" Blaine sighed and eased into their embrace.

"I'd love to, Kurt, but I'm supposed to attend this gala in the ev…"

"I know. I was thinking that maybe we could have lunch together?" Kurt proposed tentatively.

"Yeah. Definitely."

"So, I'll pick you up at noon. How does it sound?"

"Great." Blaine kissed him one more time before saying good night and leaving. Kurt couldn't sleep that night. Firstly, he was on an adrenaline rush from the date and secondly, he was thinking about what to do with Blaine's insecurities. He thought Blaine had made progress but apparently as the dynamics changed between them, they were back again...