Chapter Three:

Things were slow at Le Petit Ney that morning. The usual waves of students were already gone at this hour and only the rare person who had taken the day off was sitting on the terrace of the lovely coffee shop. The sun was already high in the sky; it was nearly midday Blaine was sitting at his favorite table. The musician loved coming to this place. He had discovered it one day as he had been walking through the streets looking for some inspiration. The little coffee shop had looked inviting to him. Since that day, he came at least twice a week to enjoy the delicious coffee and, of course, the food. M�lanie, the owner of the place, had a real gift for baking. On Wednesday evenings, groups of students and others came to sit at the largest table inside and discuss the books they had read since their last meeting. It was not really a book club; anyone could come and enjoy talking about their favorite novel, play or poems. Sometimes, some teachers would join them and they would debate on more literary aspects of a novel. Blaine enjoyed coming to the meetings. He did not really talk. Often, he would bring along his guitar and play a tune or two he had written, inspired by something one of the others had said.

Right now, Blaine was neither reading nor playing his instrument. No, he was feeling restless. After what had happened with Kurt the night before, he had not managed to catch any sleep. For a couple of hours he had dreamt of Kurt opening door after door, leading to more bedrooms filled with more kids. After that, Blaine had decided to get out of bed and try to work on his piece for the advertisement. That had not worked well either. He was convinced that Thad would not get the contract and then fire Blaine…

Blaine sighed. He felt like so many things were just not going the way he wanted lately. His phone lit up signaling another incoming call. The musician did not even need to look at the Caller ID; he already knew it would be Kurt (again).

The other man had tried to call him three times that morning. He had also texted him a few times. Blaine had not replied. It had been early and Blaine could pretend that he was still asleep. But now, it was the middle of the day and Kurt was calling him again. Before he could decide to send the call to voicemail, Jeff jogged to his table and sat down.

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” he apologized, he cheeks flushed red and his brow glistening with sweat, “Nick had something he wanted to show me and it couldn’t wait.”

Blaine put his mobile back in his pocket.

“It’s okay. I have nothing to do today,” he lied. He still had to complete the piece for the ad and Thad would probably come to him with some other new task that afternoon.

“Right,” Jeff replied unconvinced.

M�lanie came to their table and asked for their order.

“Juste un caf� pour moi, M�l” Jeff said with a big smile. She knew what he liked the most and he trusted her with his order.

“Un cappuccino et un croissant, s’il te plait,” Blaine told her.

“Je vous am�ne �a tout de suite,” she said as she walked back inside to prepare their order.

Jeff turned back to his friend who seemed to be a bit lost in thought.

“So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?” the blonde man asked.

Blaine sighed again. He was not sure why he had even asked Jeff to come in the first place. He knew that he could not talk to Sebastian about what had happened with Kurt. His best friend would have only laughed, knowing Blaine’s problem with children. And talking to Tina had been out of the question. She wanted to be a mother. It was all she had been talking about for months and she was still trying to convince Mike to have a baby but her husband maintained that they were not ready yet. If Blaine had told her how he had literally bolted out of Kurt’s apartment because of the children, she would have hit him. No, really, she would have gone mental on him. He still remembered that time when she had to babysit for a friend. Blaine had been at her place that day and when he saw the little girl he had invented some excuse to leave the house. Tina had seen right through his lie and let him have it. Blaine was still scared of her each time she went near a rolling pin.

“Blaine! Are you even listening to me?”

The musician shook his head to clear his mind and focus back on the conversation. “Sorry, I was…”

“What’s wrong with you man?” his friend asked him, concern starting to seep into his tone.

“Nothing, I just didn’t sleep much.”

Blaine’s phone vibrated again in his pocket. Jeff caught his friend’s gaze on the mobile.

“Aren’t you going to pick up?” he asked, seeing that the musician just ignored whoever was calling him.

“Nah, it’s fine.� �Probably just Thad wanting to annoy me with some other crap project to work on.” Blaine pulled his phone out and then turned it off.� “There, now he won’t bother me again.”

M�lanie arrived with both their orders. They thanked her and paid for the coffees and the croissant. As usual they gave her a generous tip. She was practically a friend to them. She thanked them in French and gave them a huge smile before heading back inside.

Blaine’s smile fell again once she was gone.

“Are you sure you’re okay man?” Jeff persisted, he could see that his friend was really tired but something felt off. There was definitely more that Blaine was not telling him.

“Yeah, like I said, I didn’t sleep much last night.” He punctuated this with a yawn.

Jeff smirked at that. He knew where Blaine had gone the previous night. They had all heard him while the musician was on the phone with his mysterious guy.

“Of course you didn’t,” he said in a knowing tone, “Was it that good?” Jeff loved hearing stories about Blaine’s lovers. A few times, it inspired him to try new things with Nick, but he would never tell that to Blaine. “So are you going to tell me?” he asked, leaning over the table, waiting for the juicy details.

Blaine snapped his eyes up to his friend. He was not sure if he wanted to share this time.

“I… yeah… he was really… yeah,” was all he said.

“Wow, he must have been really good if that’s all the eloquence left in you!” Jeff laughed at his own joke.

Blaine smiled a bit.

“He was really good yeah,” he said a bit more clearly. “I mean, I’ve had some really amazing fucks the past few years but I definitely think he was the best.”

“Better than the Italian guy from work?”� Jeff asked, a bit incredulous. “Or no, wait, was he even better than Seb?” He just really wanted to know.

“You are never going to let that one go, are you? Seb and I were both drunk and to tell you the truth it was not that good. I mean, sure, I enjoyed myself quite a bit but I wouldn’t want a repeat,” Blaine replied. “And to answer your question, I think that I can’t really compare Kurt to any of the others.”

Jeff leaned even closer, eager to hear more.

“Really?” he tried not to sound too excited. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, for starters, I never had a lover who ended up having three fucking kids!” Blaine nearly yelled. A few people walking by the terrace stopped in their tracks to stare at their table. Blaine glared at the couple that was sending him disapproving looks.

“Wait, what?” Jeff asked, taking back his initial position in the chair. This was not what he had expected from the conversation.

“Three of them – one even came in the room after we were finished.” Blaine buried his face in his hands. Why was he even telling Jeff any of this? It’s not like it mattered anyway. Blaine was never going to see Kurt again.���

“Three?” Jeff’s eyes were open wide. “Wow, that’s… wow,” was all that he could add.

“Yeah, well, technically only two are his and the third one, a girl, has recently joined his family.”

The blonde man tried to take all this in.

“How did you react?” he asked, fearing what Blaine would say.

“How do you think?!” the musician replied in a sarcastic tone. “I ran as fast and as far away as I could.”

Oh Blaine, Jeff thought to himself. He could easily picture his friend, half naked, running out of the apartment and bolting for his car.

“What did he say?” the blonde man asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

“I don’t really know actually,” Blaine replied, looking down at his hands, his fingers were fiddling with his phone; he had turned it on again. He had received a new text from Kurt.�

“Blaine?” Jeff looked at his friend. He could perfectly understand Blaine’s reaction to children; it was old news to him. The amount of times he had witnessed his friend running for the hills each time a child came too close for comfort. Still, Jeff still felt like there was something more that Blaine was not telling him. The way he was avoiding meeting his gaze, or how he kept looking down at his phone, was telling Jeff that he should try to find out more.

“I think I may like him,” Blaine finally said, barely loud enough for his friend to hear.

“Oh, well… that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Jeff tried to sound encouraging. How many times had he and Nick tried to set Blaine up hoping that Blaine would consider starting a new relationship?

“No! It really isn’t!” Blaine was so frustrated. Kurt was still trying to contact him and he just wanted to throw his phone and run. But he didn’t; he had no idea why.

“Okay, try to calm down and let’s think this through.” Jeff took the phone out of Blaine’s hand and ignored his friend’s protest. He scrolled through the texts to see what this guy “Kurt” had to say. “Well, he doesn’t sound angry at least,” he said, after having read the first texts that Kurt had sent.

From Kurt – 08h20

Hi Blaine, I was wondering if we could see each other tonight again. I have an event I have to attend but I’ll be free after midnight. Or maybe we could get coffee this afternoon and talk some more. I really enjoyed being with you last night. Let me know if you’re free.

From Kurt – 09h00

You’re probably still in bed so I’m going to wait till 10 to call you back.

From Kurt – 10h45

I really hope that you’re still in bed…

�

Jeff looked up at his friend. Blaine was avoiding his gaze again.

“Blaine…”

“Let it go okay. I can’t do this. Plus, there’s the show. I need to focus. Sebastian will kill me if I get distracted.”

“But…” Jeff did not know what to say. He hated seeing his friend look so lost and restless. Clearly, this Kurt guy was not just another simple one-night stand. “Maybe just this once, you could give it a chance.”

“Three kids, Jeff. There’s no way I’m ever getting near him again,” he answered stubbornly.

“Fine, whatever,” Jeff gave up for now. “Just let me remind you of this guy I once met. He used to tell me that one day we would all find the one person we’re meant for. And I believed this boy. I just wonder why he can’t believe himself anymore now.” Jeff looked sadly at his friend and then stood up.

Blaine looked at his retreating friend. He sighed again as he felt his phone vibrate to signal another text. The musician did not bother opening it and just deleted it. He was not even sure why he was ignoring Kurt. He could easily pick up and tell him that he really believed that they should not see each other again. He could invent some excuse about being too busy or be honest and admit that he doesn’t want to get involved in something serious.

The problem was that Blaine wanted to see Kurt again. The previous night, minus the encounter with the kids, had been incredible. For a few hours, he had felt happy, truly happy, not just the kind of joy that springs on you unexpectedly but never lasts. There had also been a real connection, something strong and intense between himself and Kurt. Like with their first kiss, Kurt had shaken his world.

Blaine sighed as he finished his cup of cappuccino. His gaze went to the busy street, not really looking at anything in particular. Could he really see Kurt again? Maybe they could meet at his place, that way there wouldn’t be any reminder of Kurt’s family life. The musician picked up his phone and scrolled through the texts sent by the other men. He read all of them. The more he did, the more he felt like a complete asshole. Maybe it would be better to keep his distance. He did not want to risk breaking Kurt’s heart or his own…

�

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Kurt’s face fell when he went through his phone to check his messages. Blaine had still not replied to any of his texts. Maybe he should just give up.

“You’ve got a new man, Hummel?” Santana asked him as he put his phone back in his pocket. “You’ve been checking that thing since I arrived.”

Kurt looked up to meet her knowing gaze. He sighed and ignored her question, focusing his attention back on his plate.

Santana was one of Kurt’s friends from university. They became close during their year in London, both being part of an internship program in one of the most prestigious event planning company. Since then, they met at least once a week to catch up on each other’s lives. A year ago, Santana used Kurt to get close to his new assistant. She was also the one who convinced Kurt to keep Brittany on the job.

“Kurt, are you even listening to me?” she asked him, her tone impatient.

“What?” he asked, having not really paid attention to what she was saying.

“I asked you what is keeping you glued to your phone?” she repeated, “Is it a new beau I don’t know about yet?”

“It’s nothing.” He tried to deflect the conversation. He did not feel like talking about Blaine with Santana.

“I don’t believe you.” She was not letting this go. “Come on, spill Hummel!”

Kurt avoided her gaze and started to explain about his meeting with the musician the previous day. He, of course, left out all the details about the rain, the puddle of water, the keys and the old car in his description. He was about to tell her about the kiss when she interrupted him.

“You guys fucked then.” She wasn’t asking. It was obvious from Kurt’s blush on his cheeks and neck.

Kurt groaned. She smirked.

“You’re planning on seeing him again?” Santana asked him as he buried his face in his hands.

“Don’t know,” he mumbled through his fingers.

“What was that?”

“I said that I don’t know.” He removed his hands and raised his head again.

“Does Marc know?” She looked at her friend pointedly.

“How would he? I only met the guy yesterday,” Kurt answered her in frustration.

“I’m just saying that because of your ‘arrangement’,” she made a quote gesture with her fingers and uttered the last word in an almost sarcastic tone, “You’d better let him know. Or, well, he’s bound to find out sooner or later, were you to get serious with this guy.”

Kurt glared at her. She never failed to remind him of this.

Kurt and Marc had been married for two years before they got a divorce. Kurt had an affair with another man, Paolo, whom he had met at one of Santana’s infamous parties. Samuel and Simon were Kurt and Marc’s children and ever since the divorce, they set up an arrangement so that they would not have to fight over custody. Kurt and Marc were officially divorced. Their family and closest friends knew but, for the image of the company, Kurt had to pretend that he was still married to Marc so that they would not have to answer indiscreet questions as to why they had separated. Marc did not want anyone to know that Kurt had cheated on him and made him look like a complete fool. He also did not want anyone to think that they had fallen out of love. Their story had been quite popular with many of their most important clients and Marc believed that it just gave a better image of union and harmony to Ericksen: Art et Divertissement.

Kurt had not fought Marc on the term of the arrangement at first. He did not want to risk losing his little boys. He still cared about Marc and it had seemed the easier solution back then. Kurt had not really thought about how trapped he would feel. He had not foreseen that, because of the arrangement, Paolo would give him an ultimatum and eventually leave. Since then, it had been a bit difficult for Kurt to date someone. Marc always knew about it and as soon as he felt that the guys got too close to the boys, he would ask Kurt to either end things or not get his sons involved. Kurt and Marc had fought repeatedly about the terms of the arrangement. Kurt had also threatened to end it but the fear of losing Simon and Samuel always prevented him from actually following through with his words.

“You’re just the trophy husband to him, Kurt,” Santana reminded him, just like she often did once they’d breached the subject. “He only wants to parade you around, to show you off to his partners while you’re not allowed living your life the way you want to.”

“I’m happy, I have the boys and Clara is great too. I may not have someone to be with at the moment but things could be worse, San.”

“You’re fooling yourself, baby.” She eyed him sadly.

He did not say another word. She was right of course. And he knew it. That was why he often fought with Marc. He tried several times to reason with the other man but always in vain. The truth was that despite the fact Kurt had ceased loving Marc a long time ago, the other man still had strong feelings for him. Kurt was sometimes afraid that because of this Marc would manage to keep him caged.

Kurt looked back at his phone. Was he really ready to risk getting involved with someone and then watch him leave again?