When Blaine wakes up in the morning, there's no sign of Kurt. Blaine's heart sinks at the sight of the empty sofa and the distinct lack of Kurt's Doc Martens under the coffee table. It shouldn't feel that awful; Kurt probably had things to do and didn't want to bother Blaine by waking him up. But it still hurts because part of him had been holding out hope he could make coffee and they could chat over pancakes.

But none of that is happening today because Kurt is gone. The apartment is empty and dark; it feels cold. Blaine runs his hands through his hair, wondering how long ago Kurt left. It's just a little after 7, still early. He might not even be home yet.

He retreats to his bedroom to grab his phone.

Blaine:
You make it home ok?

Kurt:
Just walked through the door. Sorry about last night. I can be kind of clingy when I've been drinking.

Blaine doesn't remember clingy. He remembers stunning, witty, sexy, maybe a little giggly, but not clingy.

Blaine:
No problem. You were a perfect gentleman and passed out about ten seconds after we walked in the door.

Kurt:
Oh god. Sorry… again.

Blaine:
It's fine. I'm just glad you got home safe.

Kurt:
Perfectly safe, just hung over.

Kurt:
Congrats again on the promotion.

Blaine:
Thanks! I had fun. We should do it again, but maybe stop after one bottle. ;)

Blaine tries to ignore the voice in the back of his mind telling him he screwed it all up when he doesn't get a response to his last text message.

Blaine doesn't hear from Kurt for at least a week after that. He tries not to think about it too much because he doesn't think Kurt would appreciate him pushing the issue. Obviously Kurt needs his space. Or maybe he hasn't given Blaine or their night out another thought. What's funny is Blaine isn't really sure which scenario hurts less.

The tipping point turns out to be another random encounter, much like running into Kurt at the club. Well, it gives Blaine the same terrified yet exhilarated feeling at any rate.

He's standing in line for coffee, bleary-eyed and half awake, at a coffee shop he's never been to before. He was on his way to a press check on the other side of town and in desperate need of caffeine.

"One medium drip." The voice washes over him like warm honey, bright and mildly sweet. It tickles down to his toes.

"Kurt," he says.

Blaine turns to his right and sees Kurt looking more striking than he even dared to remember. His hair is high, swooped back from his face in its usual style, but it looks like Kurt's gotten highlights since the last photo shoot. The bright flecks of gold bring out the rosy tones of his complexion. Blaine smiles.

"Hi, Blaine."

"You bought me coffee," he says, incredulous.

"I saw you come in right before I ordered. Thought I'd save you some time."

"Thanks."

Blaine steps out of line and takes the paper cup from Kurt; the warmth of Kurt's skin when their hands fleetingly brush comforts Blaine a little.

"You got a second?" Kurt asks. The way he's looking at Blaine — all wide eyes and expectant hesitation — makes him wish he hadn't hit snooze three times that morning.

"I'm kind of running late," Blaine says.

Kurt's face falls, taking Blaine's heart right along with it as if it were attached to Kurt's emotions by a thread.

"But I can spare a couple of minutes," Blaine blurts out. "Someone saved me a little time by buying my coffee."

Kurt's closed-lip smile might be the cutest thing Blaine has ever seen.

"I just wanted to apologize again about last week. I don't want you to think all I do is go out and get drunk and flirt with guys."

"I didn't think that."

"Right, well, I'd like to still be your friend," Kurt says. The fear of rejection in his eyes is so intense, Blaine wants to wrap him in a tight hug. "If that's still an option?"

Blaine bites back a laugh as Kurt toys with his coffee cup.

"Kurt." He ducks down to meet Kurt's downcast gaze. "Our friendship is not dependent on how drunk or sober you are at any given point in time. Of course we're still friends."

Kurt shifts his gaze from his coffee cup, meeting Blaine's eyes and smiling tentatively. "I was just worried I made a fool out of myself and you would think I was just some dumb kid who didn't know how to hold his drink."

Blaine doesn't fight the laughter this time.

"Are you kidding? I was just as drunk as you were."

"I wish I could remember," Kurt says. "I bet you were an even bigger dork."

"Not possible," Blaine says.

"That's true. You're a pretty big dork sober."

"You really don't remember anything from the other night?"

"No," Kurt says. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Nothing to be embarrassed about," Blaine reassures. "You're kind of adorable when you're drunk." And you canceled your date, Blaine thinks absently. He's thought about it so much at this point that he's surprised he didn't just blurt it out and embarrass them both.

Kurt's expression wavers, his eyes unable to focus on any one part of Blaine's face, like he's caught somewhere between flattered and embarrassed.

The irresistible pull Blaine always feels when he locks eyes with Kurt comes back in full force when Kurt finally looks at him, and he wants to say something. Ask Kurt if he feels it too and seek reassurance that he's not alone in this overwhelming sense of being right where he should be. He needs to know if Kurt senses the magnetic force of the world spinning around them stopping and holding them in place. Does Kurt feel the same rush of ecstasy from these moments? Is his heart beating double time at the thought of confessing his feelings?

"Listen, I've, uh, got to run, but did you want to maybe get coffee again tomorrow? I can meet you here at, say…" He checks his watch. "8:30?"

"I'd like that," Kurt says, looking at Blaine fondly. Blaine feels warm all over, the string on his heart tugging skyward, like it might float away.

"Okay. See you then."

When his hand hits the door, he turns back for a second, admiring the way Kurt adjusts the leather bag on his shoulder, making sure his shirt isn't wrinkled. Then he twists to check the back of his red pants; Blaine notices the way the sheen of the waxed denim highlights every inch of his legs. He's perfect.

"Oh, and Kurt."

"Yeah?"

"You're not some dumb kid."

It's strange and surprising how natural—-inevitable, almost—it feels when Kurt starts calling or texting Blaine at random moments. The way Blaine can't help but send Kurt photos of projects he's working on: sneak peeks at spring lines of designers who have booked Price to work on their campaigns, location possibilities for upcoming shoots, hideous logo ideas.

Kurt responds to them all, offering opinions that are often scathing or the occasional gushing praise.

A last-minute movie night at Blaine's apartment — because Kurt had never seen "Vertigo" and Blaine couldn't imagine not having seen every Hitchcock movie ever made — becomes the first in a series of not-dates, with Kurt and Blaine relying on each other for company because their schedules are too unpredictable for anything else. They also meet for coffee pretty much every morning, even though it's about 15 minutes out of Blaine's way.

"I'm sorry about dinner last night," Kurt says over their usual Tuesday morning coffee, when Tuesday morning coffee has somehow become something that they do together, along with regular movie nights at Blaine's apartment and the occasional outing with mutual friends. For some reason, everyone thinks they're dating. Blaine doesn't understand it at all. They're just friends. "I didn't think that shoot would run quite so long."

"It's okay. I fell asleep on the couch around 10 anyway."

"No wonder we're both single." Kurt exaggerates it with an eye roll, making Blaine laugh. He's definitely single, but it's not like Kurt doesn't have prospects. Now that Blaine thinks about it, Kurt spends most of his free time with him. It seems odd that he'd want to spend so much time with his friends when he could be dating.

"What about that guy who canceled? He ever reschedule? If I'm cramping your style–"

Kurt shifts nervously in his seat and says, "Oh I don't think that's really going anywhere."

"Too bad."

Kurt hums noncommittally and Blaine decides not to push for more. If Kurt remembers next to nothing of the night he stayed over, Blaine can't even know if what Kurt had said about canceling the date was true. Kurt had been drunk, after all.

They've never talked about it, and he doesn't want to embarrass Kurt by bringing it up. Or worse, giving Kurt the impression that Blaine thinks he's a liar. Besides, maybe he's reading too much into it. It's entirely possible that Kurt wasn't really interested in the guy to begin with and had been looking for an excuse to cancel. Celebrating a friend's promotion was an easy out; Blaine's probably fixating on it for nothing.

Reminded of work by his own thoughts, Blaine glances at his watch.

"Shit, I'm going to be late." He picks up his empty coffee cup and grabs his computer bag. "Oh by the way, Yvonne says they're doing a special screening of Gone With the Wind at the Trocadero on Friday. Do you want to go?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Kurt asks. "Clark Gable, gorgeous costumes, high drama. If that doesn't scream Kurt Hummel, I don't know what does."

"How silly of me," Blaine teases. "I should have known."

"Meet you there at 7?" Kurt asks, picking up his bag from the back of his chair.

"Sure. Dinner after?" Blaine suggests as he throws away his trash.

"Of course."

Blaine holds the door for Kurt, watching him until he turns the corner, before heading in the opposite direction, humming to himself.

"Good morning, Blaine," Tina says, smiling as she approaches. "Ben says we have a couple new guys starting today."

"Oh yeah, sorry. I thought you knew," he says. "Adamo and, uh… Sebastian, I think."

She sighs heavily and tucks a bright blue strand of hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry. We'll make it work," she says.

"I know you will," Blaine says, kissing her on the cheek. "That's why you're my favorite."

"Stop trying to butter me up and just promise me you'll send them into hair and makeup as soon as they get here. We're going to be pressed for time as it is."

"Of course. Anything you want," he says. "You're a doll."

Tina smiles and waves him off, leaving Blaine to finish setting up for the day.

Jan West had insisted on doing group shots to fill out the holiday campaign. So Blaine and Yvonne hired two new models. Adamo, a striking Italian, with gorgeous olive skin and glossy, dark hair, speaks next to no English, and communicates almost exclusively in clichéd pick up lines and movie quotes. The other model, Sebastian, is a lanky brunet who spent the better part of the last two years working in Paris and makes a point of telling everyone that.

Yvonne had rolled her eyes at Blaine when he had been hesitant to hire Sebastian because he kept winking at him during the casting.

"Suck it up," she said. "He's hot."

Blaine still isn't quite sure what to make of Sebastian when he introduces himself at the photo shoot.

"Oh you're much sexier than my last art director," Sebastian says, grinning lasciviously at Blaine. "Sebastian Smythe. Very nice to meet you."

He holds out a hand.

"Blaine Anderson," he says. "We met at the casting."

"I know," Sebastian says, winking.

"Right," Blaine says. "Um, you need to get to hair and makeup right away." He points over Sebastian's shoulder. "We're kind of running behind already."

"See you later, killer," Sebastian says and walks away, leaving Blaine feeling like Sebastian might as well have smacked him on the ass.

"Oh my god. What are you doing here?"

Blaine turns at the sound of Kurt's voice and sees him talking to Sebastian.

"Hey, princess," Sebastian says. "What a small world. You just book this job too?"

"I've been working with this client for weeks," Kurt replies, shoulders back and head high.

"Guess they wanted a new look," Sebastian says.

"Yeah, I hear the douchebag look is all the rage this spring," Kurt replies. He crosses his arms and looks down his nose at Sebastian the way he had at Blaine when they'd first met.

Blaine bristles for reasons he can't quite understand. Why should it bother him if Kurt's just as rude to Sebastian as he was to Blaine? It's just how he is with everyone.

No, not everyone, Blaine thinks, just me. He only talks to me like that.

Blaine doesn't want to think about why that bothers him.

"Gentlemen," he says, composing himself. "We need to get you both into hair and makeup ASAP. You can bicker in there."

Kurt glares at Blaine but heads off immediately; Sebastian stays behind. He looms over Blaine; it intimidates him, and the look on his face makes Blaine think Sebastian is fully aware of how unnerving it is.

"You're sexy when you take charge," he says smirking.

"Uh, thank you," Blaine says. He's not really sure what else to say, but he's flattered by Sebastian's attention. Even if it does rattle his nerves in a way he didn't expect.

And then Sebastian is gone. Blaine's heart is racing and he's not really sure why.

Blaine doesn't have much time to dwell on what's going through his head, though, because he's running behind most of the day, and well, Kurt is just acting strange.

"Blaine, would you mind getting me a towel?" he asks, while Zach moves some lights.

"Uh, sure."

It's the first time Kurt's accepted Blaine's assistance on set, let alone asked for it outright. Blaine tries not to consider the reasons behind it, handing over the towel and watching Kurt as he makes a show of running his hand along Blaine's wrist, eyes on Sebastian the whole time.

Kurt gives him a soft "thanks" and a too-bright smile. The playful light in Kurt's eyes makes Blaine's heart flutter with anticipation. Like maybe Kurt should always look at him this way.

There's too little time to indulge in such thoughts, though. Between Adamo's inability to follow simple directions and Sebastian's blatant flirting, Blaine spends most of the day feeling like he's playing catch up with himself. They don't even get through all of the shots.

Kurt's behavior is what really has Blaine's head spinning, though.

He goes out of his way to touch Blaine whenever he can, always making sure Sebastian is watching. Meanwhile, Sebastian is doing his best to catch Blaine's attention. Kurt seems to double his efforts whenever Sebastian is being particularly smarmy. It would be comical if Blaine wasn't so stressed already.

"Blaine, can you help me with this zipper?" Sebastian asks, struggling with his fly. "I don't know what's wrong with it."

"Ben!" Kurt shouts. "Sebastian needs help with his pants!" He turns to Blaine. "Could you get me some water?"

Ben calls Sebastian over and Blaine hands Kurt his water. There are no lingering touches or flirty giggles this time, though. Just an urgent tug on his sleeve.

"Blaine, listen," Kurt says quietly. "I need to tell you something."

"What's up?" Blaine asks.

"It's about Sebastian," he whispers, glancing over to where Ben is examining Sebastian's fly.

"Okay."

Kurt leans in and says, "Don't go out with him, please."

"Not that he's asked, but why not?"

"Just… don't," Kurt says, picking at the label on the water bottle and not making eye contact. "Sebastian is..."

Kurt looks up mid-sentence, and his eyes go wide. He clamps his mouth shut before shooting a panicked look to Blaine.

"What about me, sweetheart?" Sebastian says, throwing an arm around Kurt. "You boys aren't fighting over me, are you?" He gives Kurt a playful smack on the ass, then leans toward Blaine and winks. "Plenty of me to go around."

Blaine looks at Kurt, who looks like he can't decide if he wants to disappear or throw up. Does Kurt have a crush on Sebastian? Maybe he's worried Blaine might swoop in and steal him.

"Jesus Christ, Sebastian, you're always in my face," Kurt sneers, shoving him away.

Or maybe not.

"We should talk later," Kurt says into Blaine's ear as he brushes past.

Sebastian's eyes follow Kurt until he's out of earshot.

"So you and the ice queen?" Sebastian asks, moving even closer to Blaine.

"Sorry… what?" Blaine furrows his brow as he turns back to Sebastian, unsure what to make of Kurt's behavior.

"You and Kurt look pretty… close," Sebastian says.

"Oh, well, we're friends," Blaine offers.

"Just friends?"

"Yes," Blaine replies, tilting his head to the side. He's beginning to wonder why no one believes him. Obviously there is nothing going on between him and Kurt.

"Good, because I'd like to get your number," Sebastian says. "Maybe we could go out some time."

'Oh Sebastian, that's very sweet, but I don't think–"

Sebastian interrupts, holding a hand up and letting it graze Blaine's chest. "You don't have to answer that now. Let's just exchange numbers and see where that leads, okay?"

Blaine considers the suggestion. He's not sure if he's really interested in dating Sebastian, but the man is undeniably handsome. Tall and muscular in the way a swimmer might be, with piercing green eyes. It couldn't hurt to get to know him a little better. And he doesn't want to be rude.

"Yeah, sure. I suppose that would be okay," he says, handing Sebastian his phone. "But, um, I'm not really looking to date anyone."

"Who said anything about dating?" Sebastian replies while he enters his number and sends himself a text. "There, now I have yours too."

He hands Blaine his phone and grins wolfishly. "I'll be in touch."

Blaine just stares after him, immediately regretting his decision to hand Sebastian his phone. Something about the way Sebastian is pursuing him just feels wrong. It isn't like Blaine hasn't been propositioned before. In college, Blaine got hit on at least once a week, and, hell, his last serious boyfriend had started out as an attempted one-night stand. But Sebastian, well, he just seems even more aggressive than what Blaine is used to. Or maybe it's just the way Kurt reacted.

No, it's just a phone number. Maybe nothing will come of it. Sebastian will probably pick up some guy at a bar and forget all about the short, dorky art director with curly hair and feet that are too big for his body.

When Blaine glances up to see Kurt glaring at him from where he's talking to Ben, he really wishes he hadn't felt the need to be so polite.

Kurt avoids Blaine for the rest of the day, shooting daggers at both him and Sebastian whenever they speak to each other. Blaine really doesn't like the gnawing feeling that's taken up residence in his chest. Everything feels wrong and he just wants to talk to Kurt, find out what's bothering him.

"Kurt, didn't you want to talk to me?" Blaine asks when everything is packed up for the day and Kurt looks like he's rushing to get home.

"Nevermind," Kurt says, shoving things in his bag and not making eye contact. He's seething. Blaine can see it, but he doesn't know what to do or say. "It's nothing. Just forget it."

"Kurt, what's wrong?"

"I just…" Kurt begins. Then he shakes his head as if he can't believe Blaine is so oblivious. "I can't believe you gave your number to Sebastian." He looks down at his hands and picks absently at his cuticles. It's the first time Blaine's seen Kurt look his age. He's beautiful.

What he can't figure out is why Kurt is back to being cold with him. Blaine thought Kurt had finally warmed up to him, decided to be his friend. Maybe he was wrong.

Then again, what if Kurt does have a crush on Sebastian? Blaine feels instantly guilty that he might have hurt Kurt's feelings in some way because of his stupid inability to say "no thank you."

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I didn't know you liked him."

"Oh my god," Kurt says, huffing out a breath on the last syllable. He turns on his heel just as Blaine grabs him by the wrist.

"Don't be embarrassed, Kurt," he says softly, releasing Kurt's wrist and placing his hand on his arm. "We've all had crushes before. If you like him, I'll back off."

"Don't do me any favors," Kurt says, yanking his arm away and still fuming. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Blaine notices that Kurt's shoulders sag as he walks away, his usually perfect posture faltering just the once. He's shocked at how badly he wants to run after Kurt and try to make it all better.

The problem with booking Adamo and Sebastian is they're easily three to four inches taller than Kurt and the height difference is pronounced in the group shots. Blaine is going to have to do a lot of extra work to correct the difference. At least Mike and David are within a couple inches of Kurt's height.

Blaine opens a few images on his computer and starts narrowing them down for Lorelei's approval.

"Whoa," Yvonne says over his shoulder. "You were swimming in hot guys yesterday."

"Classy… as always."

"I'm just saying, there's some serious eye candy there," Yvonne says.

She sits down at her desk and leans back in her chair. Blaine doesn't look up.

"What's got you so uptight?" Yvonne asks. "Did Jacques Cousteau hit on you again?"

Blaine chuckles. Yvonne is frighteningly perceptive.

"Gave me his number," Blaine says, turning to face her. "Kind of forced it on me, actually. It was an… interesting experience to say the least."

Yvonne lifts an eyebrow.

"So are you going to go out with him?"

"I don't know," Blaine says. "Probably not."

"Why not?"

Blaine shrugs. "I'm not really interested."

"Blaine, he's hot," she says.

Blaine shrugs again. "So?"

"He's hot, and he's available and he likes you. How could you not be interested?"

"He's just not my type, Yvonne," Blaine says, focusing again on his screen. "And anyway, Kurt seemed kind of bothered by it."

"Kurt."

"Yeah. I think maybe he's interested in Sebastian."

"Right… Sebastian," she mumbles into her coffee mug. "Maybe he's just jealous."

"That's what I'm saying," Blaine says, turning back to face her.

"No, not because of Sebastian," Yvonne says, looking at him over the rim of her glasses. "Because of you."

"Me?"

"Mm hmm," Yvonne says, taking a drink of her coffee. "Did it ever occur to you that Kurt doesn't want Sebastian hitting on you because he likes you?"

"Oh that's ridiculous. We're just friends."

Yvonne rolls her eyes.

"We are," Blaine insists. "He's a kid, Yvonne. He's 19, and I'm practically middle-aged."

"Watch it," she says. "I'm pushing 40."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do," she says. "But age is just a number, cupcake. And you're a good-looking single guy with a job. There's no way that escaped his attention."

"You make it sound like he's shopping for a car."

"Stop deflecting. Is it really such a stretch?" she asks. "I mean, you like him, right?"

"That's completely beside the point."

Blaine turns his chair back toward his desk and clicks around his screen, trying to force himself to get back to work.

"No, that's kind of exactly the point, Blaine," she says.

Blaine freezes.

"Why are you fighting this?" Yvonne asks quietly.

"I don't know," he replies.

"Well, you need to figure that out, Blaine," she says. "For both our sakes."