"Come on, pick anything from the menu. My treat." Sam nudged Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine looked over at Sam, and sighed at seeing the concerned expression on his face. Obviously, his bad mood was putting a pall over everything and he was tired of it. So tired of it. He just wanted to move on. Put it behind him. "OK, get me the biggest Chai Latte they have."

Sam nodded, and Blaine turned to find them a place to sit in the busy café. The weather had taken a sudden dip, the first real cold snap hinting that winter was only a few weeks from really starting. As a result, the café was packed full of people clutching hot beverages in their cold hands.

"Blaine." A voice nearby called out.

Turning towards the voice, Blaine smiled to see Hannah sitting at a corner table on her own. "Hannah, good to see you."

"You too." Hannah gathered up the papers spread across the table. "The café is full. Why don't you join me?"

Blaine turned to see Sam approaching, carrying their drinks, and he took his latte from him. "Thanks, Hannah. Do you remember Sam?" They probably hadn't seen each other since the summer.

"Of course." Hannah smiled at Sam as she packed away her paperwork into a messenger bag, and waved at the empty chairs for them to sit down. "What brings you two to this part of the city?"

"I live near here now." Sam took a sip of his coffee. "My roommate had a couple of loud friends over, so Blaine and I decided to get out to be able to talk without shouting." His easy smile had Hannah returning it.

Hannah looked between the two men. "Oh, did you two have something you needed to discuss? Am I going to be in the way?"

Reaching over, Sam touched Hannah's arm lightly. "Actually, you might be able to help my side of this particular discussion." Blaine shot him a warning look that made Sam grin in return. "Blaine is still hung up on Kurt. I'm trying to get him to date someone else, anyone else."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "I don't want to discuss this with anyone. No offense, Hannah."

"Come on, man. Admit that you are still a bit messed up from Kurt. It's the first step. And then you can start moving on." Sam leveled a steady look at Blaine.

Shooting an apologetic look at Hannah, Blaine turned to his friend. "It's not like that, Sam. So, I had a short, summer fling. And now he's back with his old boyfriend. So what? He never promised me anything."

Sam shook his head. "It was more than that, and you know it. You two were close friends, living together, hanging out together every day. And it grew into more over time. To go from that to no contact at all… it's pretty harsh, man."

"Well, to put my two cents in," Hannah smiled as she looked at both men, "I was around Kurt a lot as well. I was there every weekday, Monday to Friday, for weeks. Kurt and I got to be close friends too. And he's not contacting me either." She shrugged.

Blaine gave her a considering glance. "So, do you think it's just how Kurt is? Acts like he's a good friend when you're around, and doesn't keep up the act when you aren't?"

Swirling the cooling coffee in her large mug, Hannah paused while she thought. "I don't think it's an act. I think Kurt is a moment-to-moment kind of guy. He adapts to the current situation, whatever it is, and that becomes his whole focus. He gets so wrapped up in the present, so focused on it, that everything else falls away. When he was first getting in touch with all those old acquaintances, I asked him why he'd lost touch with them. He just shrugged. We got talking about it and he found it hard to maintain his friendships because of his work schedule. Long days of rehearsals, then the shows, the publicity, going to events to be seen. It was grueling and he did it for years."

Taking a sip of his drink, Blaine thought about Hannah's points. To be a performer at the top level, Kurt had eight shows a week, had to keep in shape physically. Attend publicity events and interviews. Keep up his image. Attend parties for the producers. Meet with people for upcoming shows.

"Well, either he's a phony just acting like he cares about people, or he does care and he's bad at maintaining relationships. Either way, not really someone who is good to be in a relationship with." Sam rested a hand on Blaine's shoulder briefly.

Blaine scoffed. "Why are we even bothering to discuss this? He's not trying to have a relationship with me, not even a friendship. He's back with Adam."

Moving her chair a bit closer to Blaine's, Hannah put her arm around his shoulder. "Because both Sam and I can tell you are still really upset over it. I saw a hint of it when I saw you at the theatre on opening night, and I can see it now. It's like your confidence has been really shaken by it all."

Sam nodded at Hannah, glad that she was saying what he'd been thinking. "You didn't do anything wrong, Blaine. You were a good friend for him, were there helping him when he needed it, giving him comfort and friendship."

Grabbing a napkin from the table, Blaine swiped at his eyes and blew his nose. Fuck. He hated being like this. "But I'm the one who left. He asked me to stay, and I still left."

"He was taking you for granted, Blaine. Did he ever apologize for working late, that last month? Did he even think of you, waiting around his apartment for him?" Sam moved forward on his chair, holding Blaine's gaze until he shook his head.

Hannah gave Blaine a squeeze. "Now I feel bad for encouraging your relationship with Kurt. I got you involved in all this."

Shaking his head again, Blaine pulled away, straightening up in his chair. "No, Hannah. I don't regret anything. I'm glad I was there to help Kurt when he needed me. I'm glad I got to know him, and for the relationship we had. He's really an incredible person, but in the end, we aren't right for each other. And that's OK. It's life. I've got to accept it and move on."

Slapping Blaine's shoulder, Sam grinned at him. "I'm so glad so hear that. There's this guy who came onto me at the gym who I think would be perfect for you."

Laughing, Blaine gathered up their empty cups. "Oh god, no thanks! A guy who is into tall, blond guys won't give me a second look. I don't need another blow to my ego."

"I showed him your picture, and he was quite impressed. Come on, just meet him for coffee and see if you click." Sam stood up, putting his coat on.

Just shaking his head at Sam's suggestion, Blaine gave Hannah a hug. "I'm so glad we ran into you today. We should pick a night to try out that Moroccan restaurant you mentioned sometime soon."

Hannah returned the hug enthusiastically. "I think you should go for that coffee with the new guy." Her whisper was for Blaine's ear only. Pulling back, she nodded. "Sure, Blaine. I'll text you in a couple days. Sam, feel free to join us if you want."

Returning her smile, Sam shook his head. "I tried Moroccan once, and was covered with cous cous by the end of the meal. Not a pretty sight."

...

Blaine sat down in the park bench, pulling his lunch bag out of his knapsack. It was a gorgeous fall day, with the leaves just starting to get tinges of red and gold.

After finishing the meal, he tilted his head back against the back of the bench, letting the mild sun warm his skin.

A few minutes later, he heard the rustle of someone near and the bench dipping slightly with someone's weight.

Opening his eyes, Blaine looked over lazily, and then sat up in shock. "Kurt! What the hell!"

Kurt was grinning down at Blaine, his blue eyes showing his happiness. "Blaine Anderson. Long time, no see."

Blaine nodded, simply taking in the sight of Kurt. He looked good in tweed pants and a thick burgundy cardigan. "How are things going, Kurt?"

Kurt was as fast as ever on his phone. "The show is still having strong ticket sales, so Nate and I are quite pleased. We are considering what to do next."

"Good to hear you are still working together. He's a great guy." Blaine nodded, a little surprised that Nate was getting along with Kurt, since they had fought about Adam before. But maybe being older, they had handled it better.

"How's Sam lately?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shrugged. "OK. He found a new place to stay, and he's working a lot."

Kurt gave him a considering look and then typed. "It must feel weird to be living alone again. I know it took a while to adjust to it."

His comment surprised Blaine. Did he mean not living with Adam? Or not living with Blaine?

"How's Adam doing?" Blaine wasn't going to pussyfoot around the topic.

Kurt looked a bit surprised. "Oh, he's back in England, pretty busy with some big project." His eyes dipped.

It made sense. Blaine had given up tracking their relationship on the Internet lately, but he hadn't even seen pictures of them together in passing. Maybe that was what Kurt had meant in his email before. Now that they were more serious, they were probably keeping it out of the media. Adam discretely flying in for visits as Kurt's busy schedule allowed.

Blaine felt bad for Kurt. It must be hard having a long distance relationship. Kurt couldn't be away from New York much unless he was between shows, and Adam's business was mostly run from London. How had they handled it all these years? Blaine knew long distance relationships wouldn't work for him.

Getting up, Blaine gave Kurt a little smile. "Well, I better get back to work. It was good seeing you."

Kurt stood up too, his fluid movements showing he was even stronger than before. He reached out to touch Blaine's sleeve. "Blaine... Could we go for lunch sometime maybe?"

Looking back at Kurt, Blaine wondered what Kurt wanted. Maybe now that things were more secure with Adam, it was OK for Kurt to have male friends again. Maybe Kurt was a bit lonely from Adam being away so much. Did he want this? To be around Kurt again as friends?

"Um...sure, Kurt." Blaine wasn't sure how he felt about it, but having lunch wouldn't hurt. "I'm working on a project near your apartment, actually, for the next few weeks. So, let me know of a place."

...

"Really? Fight Club is your favorite movie?" Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "Because of Brad Pitt?"

Blaine chuckled as he filled his fajita with grilled chicken and guacamole. "Everyone has weird ideas about that movie. It's not about fighting or violence. Or how amazing Brad Pitt looks with his shirt off. It's about materialism."

Kurt gave him a funny look as he ate some spicy rice and beans. "Materialism."

Finishing off his wrap, Blaine wiped his mouth and fingers with a napkin. Tasty but messy, those fajitas. "Yeah, the main character has his apartment blow up and goes to live in a condemned house. And Tyler Durden is saying stuff like 'Things you own, end up owning you.'"

"'Fuck Martha Stewart.'" Kurt chimed in, smirking a little when Blaine nodded back.

"Yeah, that was a line in the show." Blaine took a long sip of his vodka tonic. He smiled as the server took their empty plates away.

It was the second time they had met up for lunch, and it was good to see how comfortable they were talking. It felt like old times, and Blaine was happy to have his friendship back with Kurt.

Kurt grinned as he typed. "So, you don't like 'stuff'?" He waved to the server and made a signal for another round.

Thinking for a minute, Blaine decided to tell Kurt some things about his past. Things he didn't talk about too often. "I guess it started with moving to New York. You couldn't take much with you, as apartments here are so small and expensive. I usually had roommates and a small bedroom of my own. You had to be selective about what you bought, what you kept. If you didn't use it, you got rid of it."

Kurt nodded, sipping his margarita, encouraging Blaine to continue.

"And then I travelled with different bands on tour. All you take along is your instrument and a duffle bag. I couldn't afford to keep the room while I toured, so I got rid of most of my stuff and stored a box or two with friends." Blaine shrugged.

"So, you were homeless and poor, is that what you're saying?" Kurt smirked, letting Blaine know he was joking.

Blaine shrugged. "I kinda was. But you know what? It was kind of freeing. I was travellin' light, as the old saying goes. It was easy to go anywhere, do anything. Plus, I didn't have much stuff with me worth stealing, so I could crash on a stranger's couch without worrying about much."

"Except your virtue." Kurt joked.

Blaine scoffed, sipping his drink and feeling pretty mellow. "That got lost somewhere along the way." He glanced Kurt's way, finding him giving an interested look back.

"So, you travelled around like that for a few years?" Kurt typed. Blaine was glad to see Kurt seemed less self-conscious about using his voice app in public now.

Blaine finished his drink, signaling for the bill to the server. "Yeah. Didn't make much money but I travelled all over the states and a few other places. Met tons of interesting people. Played music with incredible artists."

"You sound like you feel about music like I do about theatre. Like it feeds your soul." Kurt tilted his head, looking at Blaine closely. "Do you miss playing music, or travelling around like that?"

Blaine lowered his gaze. "It was good for a time, but I wasn't made for that life. I need things to be more stable." He shrugged. "So, I moved back here and started my own business. It relates back to everything I learned, you know? Helping people get rid of the extra crap in their lives and figure out what they really care about."

Kurt chuckled. "You sorted my closet once. I'm sure you know what I care about!"

Looking over the bill, Blaine waved away Kurt's motion to pay and pulled out some cash. "If you love it and use it, they are good things to hold on to."

"Well, there probably are some old things in there I won't wear again." Kurt shrugged.

Getting up, Blaine put his light jacket on. "Well, you could probably consign it or auction some stuff off, if it's stuff your fans would be into. Give the money to charity." He shrugged.

"Something to consider." Kurt zipped up his coat. "Blaine, would you be free Thursday night? There's an opening I've been invited to and you could be my plus-one."

Blaine stopped and looked over at Kurt. It almost sounded like a date invitation. But then again, Adam was in London and Kurt probably just wanted someone to go with. "Um...OK, I guess so."

"Such enthusiasm!" Kurt nudged Blaine's shoulder playfully.

Blaine just gave a weak smile back. Maybe being around Kurt so much wasn't such a good idea. He was starting to enjoy it far too much.

...

"You really didn't have to walk me to my door, Kurt." Blaine laughed as Kurt followed him up the stairs to his apartment.

It had been a fun night, going for dinner first and then the show. Kurt had gotten a lot of media attention, and Blaine had been surprised when Kurt had put a hand on his arm to keep Blaine from moving away.

Kurt had introduced him to friends they had run into, never hesitating to use his device to speak. It was just a part of Kurt's life now, and people seemed to accept it.

"It's good to do some stairs after that chocolate mousse." Kurt commented behind Blaine.

Blaine's apartment was small, and Kurt walked around, his gaze curious. "You don't have much stuff, but I like what you do have."

"Um...thanks." It was strange having Kurt here, in his small, simple apartment. His big presence made it feel even smaller.

Kurt sat down in the sofa, and Blaine awkwardly joined him there. Why did this suddenly feel like an end of a date? They were just friends. Kurt had a boyfriend.

"Would you like a drink or something?" Blaine asked, plucking at the fabric of his pant leg nervously.

Moving closer, Kurt typed fast. "Or something." And then he leaned over to kiss Blaine.

Blaine froze under the touch of Kurt's lips for a second, and then they felt so good, so familiar, he sank into the kiss.

Kurt shifted closer, his hands in Blaine's hair, his kisses hot and deep. Hungry.

With a gasp, Blaine tore his mouth away, and then got off the couch. "Kurt, I don't think this is a good idea." He tried to keep his breath steady, but it came out raspy.

Looking back at Kurt, his resolve almost crumbled. Kurt looked so good, his lips swollen, his eyes bright, his clothing mussed up.

But Kurt got up, and nodded slowly at Blaine. And was soon out the door.

...

What should I do if an attached guy comes onto me? - B

It took a few minutes for his brother to reply.

Just flirting? Or something more...intense? -C

Blaine sighed, his mind flashing to memories of last night. Those hot, hot kisses. Wanting Kurt so much. Knowing his bed was so close by.

Intense x 1000 -B

Cooper must have been waiting for the reply.

Keep your distance. Keep in public. -C

Blaine was nodding to his text when another two came.

Or wait for them to break up. And pounce. - C

But then again, if he's a cheater, would you want him? -C

Sighing, Blaine typed a reply slowly. Cooper had made a good point.

Something to think about, for sure. -B

...

Blaine laughed at the delivery to his house the next day. It was a cactus with a small card.

Sorry if I overstepped. -K

Biting his lip, Blaine looked at the plant. What the hell was he doing? Obviously, he had old feelings about Kurt. And maybe Kurt was lonely and missing Adam. But there was no way he could get involved with Kurt sexually. He knew himself. He would just end up hurt in the end.

Thanks for the cactus, Kurt. But let's just be friends, OK? -B

He sent the text, just wanting the air to be clear between them.

OK. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Want to come by the theatre Tuesday for lunch? -K

Blaine sighed in relief. That was something they had done together a lot before. Hanging around Kurt's office as cast and crew came in and out, asking questions. It was casual, friendly, public.

OK, Kurt. See you then. –B

...

-A/N: Back into present POV. A note on the story timelines: Kurt woke up from the coma in the spring, and lived with Blaine in the early part of the summer. The play opened in the early fall. It is now the end of fall/early winter. Kurt/Blaine probably haven’t seen each other for at least a couple months