When he woke up a few hours later Kurt groaned and rolled over, rubbing at his face. He needed a shower badly and also needed to do some emergency moisturizing work. He dragged himself to his feet and slumped against the shower's granite covered walls and let the water rush over his skin. Five minutes into his soak he realized what he'd just done. "Shit…" He murmured softly, scrubbing his fingers through his hair.

He'd gone to Blaine almost fall down drunk and Blaine had taken care of him without a single complaint. "What the hell am I doing?" He hissed and turned the water off. Kurt dried off quickly and settled down in front of his vanity to try to do some emergency work on the dark circles under his eyes.

Sadie called half an hour later when Kurt was in the middle of styling back his bangs. "So, Blaine has a very sexy voice." She started a little grin audible even through his crappy phone speaker. Kurt groaned and set the phone down, putting it on speakerphone.

"You chatted this morning?" He asked, pulling at the skin under his eye and leaning forward to examine the damage critically.

"Yes." Sadie replied simply.

Kurt raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the screen, "Is that all?"

Sadie chuckled, "Well, he did confess his undying love for you but I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Oops." Kurt glowered a little and before he could chew her out Sadie continued, "Honestly I think our chat lasted a total of a minute. I said 'Hi, how's Kurt?' He said, 'He's been dead to the world since Jason dropped him off', I said, 'Thanks. Can you tell him Lawrence will perform for him and I'll see him for Sunday matinee?' he said, 'Of course. Have a pleasant day. I will relay that message once he wakes up'. Then I hung up. Sorry I don't have more. Lawrence was more than glad to perform though."

"I'm honestly thankful for the break, but I'll be ready to take my rightful spot back on Sunday." He rubbed a cream into the skin of his temples and said a moment later, "I want to thank Blaine."

"For taking care of you last night? I think not throwing up on him or any of his possessions was thanks enough." Sadie quipped.

Kurt growled a little, "I was thinking of something else. Maybe invite him to dinner?"

Sadie remained silent for a moment, "Honey… aren't you, you know, moving a little too fast? I understand he took care of you but honestly he doesn't seem to be the type of person who would refuse to help anyone. I think he was just being kind of, neighborly?"

"But, when I asked to see him later he said that he wouldn't close the door in my face. Isn't that good enough?" Kurt asked, feeling a little desperate.

Sadie sighed softly, "Sure, it's a good sign that he's willing to be acquaintances. If you really want to thank him maybe you should invite him to get coffee with you. That's neighborly and also a really good way to reconnect."

Kurt pursed his lips a little and glowered at his reflection. "I guess…"

"Honey. You really need to calm. Go and watch some TV, catch up in the happenings of the world, take a walk. I'll see you Sunday."

"See you then Sadie." He hung up and sat in silence for a moment before quickly hurrying to his feet. He dressed faster than normal and went down two floors, and knocked briskly on Blaine's door. Patiently Kurt waited for the door to open. Finally Blaine appeared at the door looking very tired.

He quirked an eyebrow at Kurt and suddenly Kurt felt his courage drain away from him. "I was wondering if you would like to get coffee with me."

Blaine's smile seemed a little strained, "I would, but I can't afford to leave my apartment for a while. My editor called and said that they've moved up my deadline. I need to get a ton of work done in the next 48 hours. I appreciate the offer though."

Kurt forced a little smile at Blaine and nodded, "Of course. I'll see you later. Good luck." Blaine nodded and closed the door as Kurt turned away. He was deterred but not about to give up. If Kurt was one thing he was tenacious and now that he had a second chance he wasn't going to give it up.

He did as Sadie advised and tried to watch TV, but didn't find anything interesting on and instead turned to Blaine's second book. It was longer than the first but it was wonderful. The Prince, as everyone seemed to want to call him, was complex and a complete loner. Jamie was wonderful for him, even if they were so very blind to the realities of life.

Halfway through Kurt realized tears were falling from his eyes. The Prince and Princess had broken up, going their own ways. There was something horribly realistic about their breakup and what made it worse was that Kurt knew exactly how both characters felt. Angry, upset, lonely, betrayed by the other.

It was all so very familiar even though the characters were in an almost completely different situation than he and Blaine had been in.

Kurt continued to read to the end and found that Blaine left it at a cliff-hanger. The Princess was faced with a choice, to do what her mother wanted her to do in the safety of the society set and start seeing the Lord or run off to New York where her family's society had no power.

He set Beau aside and sighed, rubbing his eyes. So much to take in. He could see why Blaine's books were so popular but to the younger readers they only saw it as a teen fiction with a fantasy storyline. Kurt saw it as something more, even if he wasn't sure if it was all meant to represent how Blaine had seen their relationship. He thought back to Sadie's comment of authors taking what they and working from it.

But it was all just so familiar.

In the morning Kurt woke a little earlier than usual and whizzed through his morning routines. Once he was dressed he hurried to the corner coffee shop and bought a latte, struggling to remember just how Blaine liked his coffee.

He bought the drinks and rushed back to the apartment complex, hurried up to the 62nd floor and knocked briskly on the door, grinning. When Blaine showed up at the door he looked almost on the brink of being annoyed. "Kurt, I agreed to be friendly but I really am busy-" Kurt shoved the latte into Blaine's face, "That smells wonderful."

"Can I just come in for a little bit? Just to chat? I have to leave for the theatre in an hour to prepare for the matinee so I won't be in your lovely and yet very mussed hair for too long." Kurt asked, giving Blaine an award winning smile.

Blaine took a whiff of the strong liquid and let Kurt into his apartment once more.

Kurt realized almost immediately that Blaine really had been up all night. His chin and cheeks were scruffy, his glasses hung on the end of his nose and he was still dressed in sweats. Blaine looked so tired and thankful for the latte that he was now nursing.

Kurt followed Blaine silently into the area that he was calling his study, which was really just a section of the living room. "Thank you for the coffee." Blaine said, smiling slightly at Kurt and settling in his chair. His computer was on the table at his elbow with rows upon rows of words running across the screen.

"You're working on your next book?" Kurt asked cordially, nodding to the computer and taking a seat on an ottoman across from Blaine.

Blaine sighed a little, "Mhmm, my editor has been tearing her hair out because of me. I'm a bit of a procrastinator and she hates that. The only reason they tolerated my five year long hiatus before Beau was because they were able to generate a lot of internet interest to keep up my popularity and I was writing short stories for anthologies during that time. They're not being that lenient this time around. I have actual deadlines and the consequences if I don't meet them could be dire."

Kurt listened to Blaine intently but his eyes slid to the doorway as a sleek calico cat trotted into the room. "I'm guessing that's Pachelbel?" Blaine followed Kurt's gaze and nodded

"Yeah, she usually keeps me company when I'm writing. And she's very good at harmonizing when I play guitar. While all the other cats run she apparently likes music."

"Well, that's kinda ironic, with their names you know." Kurt said, awkwardly but it won a smile from Blaine.

Kurt took a moment to think about what he was about to say before finally saying, "I really am sorry about your parents-"

Blaine silenced Kurt with a simple gesture, "I'm really trying not to focus on it too much. I have to work and thinking about them is only going to derail me and that is something neither of them would have wanted."

Kurt nodded a little but felt a little unsettled at Blaine's reaction.

They fell silent for a while until Kurt tried to start up the conversation once more, "I've been reading your books." Blaine's eyes widened a little and he froze in the middle of lifting his coffee to his lips. "I like them- a lot." Kurt said, trying to calm Blaine down.

"I was hoping that you actually wouldn't read them." Blaine murmured, settling the container into his lap. "And don't act innocent. I wrote about us and you know it. But I saw it more as therapy than anything else. In the beginning I hadn't even planned on letting anyone read it."

Kurt took time to think about what to say next. He knew that they were on thin ice and barely acquaintances at this point in time. "I did see a lot us in the Prince and Princess… especially their first meeting. But I was able to detach myself from them and read it as a story and I really liked it. I'm kinda anxious to see what happens next."

The look on Blaine's face was amazing and so filled with relief that Kurt felt himself glowing with pride at his accomplishment. "Well, you're going to have wait until I finish. Who knows, maybe I'll even let you read it before it's published."

"I'd like that." Kurt decided to go for the plunge. He wasn't going to hold anything back this time. "And maybe, once you've satisfied your editor's thirst for blood we could try for that coffee again."

Blaine's eyebrow quirked a little and he leaned back and suddenly Kurt saw Blaine as a 17 year old boy who was asking him to help him practice for a performance at King's island. But this time Blaine wasn't asking anything of Kurt. "I'll think about it. I'm going to be busy for a while, but we'll see how things work out once I finish."

Kurt beamed at him. At least it wasn't an outright no.

They fell into another silence but this one wasn't as awkward. Finally Kurt decided not to push it too much. "I should leave. I need to go and reclaim my rightful place on the stage." As he stood Blaine got to his feet also.

"Well, then I wish you-" Kurt quickly pressed his fingers against Blaine's lips to stop him from finishing that sentence.

"It's bad luck to say good luck." Kurt said, hastily removing his fingers. Blaine grinned a little, obviously not too weirded out about the contact.

Blaine tilted his head to the side, his grin growing even wider, "I thought that was only on opening night."

"Just tell me to break a leg." Kurt said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Break a leg then. But not literally." Blaine picked up the tabby (Quiddich?) from the side table near the door and held him in his arms.

"I'll try not to." Kurt said, hand on the knob. Now it started to feel awkward because Blaine was smiling at him slightly, waiting for Kurt to leave and Kurt just didn't want to. Finally he forced himself to move, "Well, then I'll see you later." Blaine nodded and watched as Kurt left.

Kurt closed the door and took a deep breath, collecting himself. He started back to the elevator and ran into a woman as she was coming out. She was a sweet looking woman with hair so blonde it was almost white, big blue eyes, and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye. "Oh! I'm so sorry hunny. Wasn't watching where I was going." She tittered slightly and slid past him, a large white dog trotting at her side.

"It's quite alright. That's a beautiful dog you have there." Kurt said, getting into the lift and she turned to smile at him looking at him through incredibly long eyelashes.

"Thanks. He was a birthday present. Apparently dogs make wonderful companions when lovers fail you. You have a good day, alright?" Kurt grinned at her and nodded once as the door closed. The woman chuckled a little and hurried to the door that Kurt had just left moments before. She let herself in calling, "Blaine? Are you still alive?"

There was a silence until finally, "In the study Carrie." She let the dog loose and it barreled down the hallway and a moment later she heard Blaine laugh, "Hey there girl! Watch the keyboard!"

Carrie trotted after the dog and smiled at the sight of Blaine on the floor, practically hugging the pooch. "Autumn was glad to hear you agreed to take care of her for the day, and I was too. I really need to get some work done and having her around is like having a child that I'm so not ready for. The opening is two weeks away. I was thinking you could take her for a walk. She tends to be destructive when bored and you need some fresh air, it'll stimulate your brain waves and make you type faster."

Blaine smiled up at her and struggled out from underneath the hyped up Pyrenees. "Good idea. Let me get dressed." He went to his room and closed the door a little, leaving enough space for them to be able to talk. Carrie settled down in the chair he'd just vacated and picked up the laptop to look over what he'd been writing. "Kurt asked me to get coffee with him last night."

Carrie lifted an almost translucent eyebrow, placing her hand on Autumn's head. "And did you?"

"No. It still doesn't feel right." Blaine's voice sounded unsure. "And he keeps pushing. He brought me coffee this morning. He was like this in High School, I know, but he wasn't at the same time."

Carrie ruffled the shaggy fur between Autumn's ears and set the computer to the side. "And when is it going to feel right? If you keep thinking back to all the bad things that you remember about him and about your relationship then you're going to end up getting nowhere. Have you ever thought of maybe trying to remember the good times you had together? Just a suggestion."

"I don't really know what would be good to remember." Carrie scoffed.

"Now you're just being obstinate. Why don't you tell me about how you first met?"

Blaine smiled a little, "I sang to him, Teenage Dream by Katy Perry." Carrie smiled softly. Ah, good ol' Katy. "And then we sat down and drank coffee and he cried while he told me about how he was being bullied."

"And that was when you realized that you were going to love him until the end of time?" Carrie quipped and Blaine laughed a little. "Well, that's a start. Work from there."

Blaine tugged a shirt over his head and remained quiet, thinking about Carrie's comments. When he came back out Carrie was back to reading the page he'd just finished and Autumn was ready to go. "Kay, wanna walk us out?" Blaine asked and took the lead from Carrie and she grinned up at him, adjusting the beret perched on her head.

They chatted all the way down to the main lobby and parted ways at the entrance. At one point she asked if Blaine had called the friend of Chance's and Blaine quickly muttered that he hadn't had time. "Well, as much as I'd hate to admit it… what if Chance is onto something? Maybe you could give him a try? I mean, you really shouldn't sit around forever trying to figure out what the hell is going on with Kurt. Plus, what would be the harm? I've met Mark and he really is wonderful, I'm sure you'd have a great time together." Blaine thanked Carrie for messing him up even more.

Blaine made his way with Autumn to Central park and strolled along the pavement with everyone from tourists to old couples wandering past him. He stared up at the sky for a moment and mulled over Carrie's words. Remember what was good about them. He watched as two kids rolled past him. The girl was on a skateboard and her boyfriend stood next to her, making sure she didn't fall off. He grinned at them and the boy caught his eye and nodded once, returning to his girlfriend as she almost fell off.

Kurt stormed up to Sadie after leaving Blaine's apartment and hugged her. "You're looking very cheerful." She said, laughing as he let go.

"Everything is falling into place! I went and had a full conversation with Blaine and we shared coffee. I went to him and he let me in and we talked about his books and he admitted he wrote about us, but as therapy and not to be vindictive. And we talked about maybe going out some time."

Sadie trailed after Kurt looking a little worried, "Aren't you moving a little too fast?"

"No, not at all. Last time I really let Blaine call the shots. He was the first one to say he loved me, even though I'd already admitted it to someone else. He asked me out on the first date, he was the first one to kiss me. This time I'm going to be more proactive, show that I'm fully invested. I want to fix what I did wrong." The smile on his face almost stretched from ear to ear.

Sadie pursed her lips to the side a little but didn't say anything. She knew there was nothing she could do once he got this way. "Just as long as you know what you're doing."

"Trust me. I do." Kurt sad loftily as he brushed his hair back to perfection.

That night after the second performance Kurt went home and took the lift straight up to his apartment. Inside it was silent as always but Kurt didn't quite notice it as much. Instead he went to his room and lay on his bed for a while. It took him a moment to realize something.

He hurried to his front entry way where the letter was waiting for him. He didn't recognize the name on the front of the envelope and quickly tore it open. In it was a letter in loopy handwriting congratulating Kurt on his part in "Worry Well". Most of it was inarticulate and hard to read because the writing was so messy. In the end the last line was a statement of Kurt's wonderful talent and how he was too good for anyone. It wasn't signed and there was no return address.

Kurt read it over once more, trying to make sense of it, but couldn't. He'd never gotten a letter like this and immediately wrote it off, setting it aside and forgetting about it completely. It was just gibberish and probably a fan letter that had somehow found its way directly to him instead of going through his casting agent.

He went back to his bedroom to settle down and go to bed. He had tomorrow off and intended to spend it wisely.

Blaine settled on a bench, near most of the commotion with Autumn settled at his side. He'd lost track of the boy and girl but this gave him time to think.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Blaine asked, tugging Kurt's text book from his hands.

"But midterm exams are coming up and I need to be ready." Kurt replied simply. Blaine grinned a little and leaned down,

"You have to have fun sometimes. C'mon. Just go with it." He reached out his hand to Kurt and after a moment of hesitation took Blaine's hand and allowed Blaine to drag him outside to the Dalton grounds. They had been together only a few weeks, but they had been wonderful, if a little tentative.

All they had really done was walk through the halls holding hands or studying together in Blaine's room. They'd maybe shared a few kisses since the first one but Blaine seemed to be the kind to want to take it slow.

Blaine was also the kind to rarely be impulsive. "So, where are we going to go?"

"I'd thought we'd just wander."

"So, you're basically using me to avoid studying. Don't you have an American History test tomorrow?" Kurt asked, shamelessly snuggling up to Blaine's side.

Blaine laughed a little resting his head against the side of Kurt's head. Their height difference didn't bother him in the slightest and in fact he found it a little endearing. "I would never use you. Can't you accept the fact that I actually wanted to spend time with you?"

"And the fact that I'm helping you avoid studying is just a perk?"

"Yeah. Sure. Why not?" They laughed a little and Kurt hugged his body a little closer to Blaine's. This was what he loved about Blaine. That he was so willing to be seen with him publicly. It took a lot of getting used to for Kurt, but Blaine was always there to push him a little more but never push him over the edge.

They walked in silence for a while until Blaine pulled them to a statue of the founder of the school and settled down in the bench next to Kurt. "If I kissed you now would you mind?"

Kurt smiled a little, proud that he didn't blush, "You'll never have to ask to kiss me. I'll always say yes."

Blaine grinned and leaned up towards his beautiful boyfriend and pressed their foreheads together, looking into Kurt's smiling eyes. This was how he always wanted them to be.

Blaine jolted back to reality, suddenly feeling a little scared. The good times had been great, but what if he decided to go against everything he knew and let Kurt back in like Carrie had advised him to do and something happened to derail them? Blaine didn't know if he could handle that.

He decided that he needed to stop speculating and figure out what he could do to make himself sure of everything once more.

He took Autumn around the park a couple more times and finally returned to his apartment still feeling a little off center. He wondered if Carrie really was right and maybe treating Kurt like another suitor was a very good idea. Blaine took Autumn off her lead and she bounded to the couch to stretch across it, thoroughly upsetting Brahms who had apparently settled there earlier. He hissed at the gigantic dog who looked like she could care less and bounded away, disappearing into the darkness of Blaine's room. Blaine smiled lovingly at the animals and went to his phone and listened to his answering machine to find the number he was looking for.

He dialed the number and waited for a few rings, "Hello?"

"Hello, Mark. This is Blaine, Chance's friend."

Mark chuckled a little, "I know who you are. There aren't that many men floating around named Blaine. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to call me back."

"I think I would like to go out with you. Maybe to dinner?" Blaine answered automatically.

Mark seemed pleased, "Yes, that sounds fine. How about this Friday? I'll call you with details later?"

"Of course. I look forward to meeting you." Mark chuckled again, murmured something about Blaine's gentlemanly behavior being a turn on and then said goodbye.

Blaine hung up the phone and stared at the counter. He had a date and the guy seemed nice and a little commanding. But… why didn't he feel any better?