Hopping out of the car when it rolled to a stop outside the hotel, Blaine fumbled for his sunglasses as the bright sun - which had been dimmed considerably by the car's tinted windows - dazzled him.

It was Friday evening and he had just spent the day doing a final rehearsal for the festival, checking out the venue, and seeing the set-up for his performance. He had found time to call Kurt when he knew his boyfriend wouldn't be busy at work and had talked to him until he had to go and rehearse.

He was just walking towards the hotel's doors when a familiar voice shouted his name. Turning, he spotted someone he hadn't seen in almost a year walking towards him, a huge smile on his face. "Nick!" Blaine greeted him when his old Dalton classmate reached him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, giving the taller man a hug.

"Your friend George told me you were back in LA and that you would have less of a hectic schedule than you did last time you were here, so he told me which hotel you were staying at and said I should come see you," Nick explained.

"Are you friends with George?" Blaine asked, still smiling at the appearance of his friend. "I didn't know that."

Nick shrugged. "I wouldn't really call us friends, more acquaintances, but we exchanged phone numbers when we had that barbecue at my place last year." He smiled at Blaine. "So how's everything with you? I don't read any of those gossip magazines or websites, but I still know that you're dating that talk show host, Kurt Hummel. I saw the news on the front cover of some magazine."

Blaine smiled at the mention of Kurt and Nick elbowed him playfully. "Aw, Blainers is in love!" he cooed.

Blushing, Blaine shoved at his friend. "Kurt is amazing, I'm so glad I met him." Ignoring Nick's cooing, he continued, "we've been together since June and yes, I do love him, very much."

Nick clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you, Blaine, you deserve someone who makes you feel like that and from what I've heard, Kurt is a pretty great guy."

Blaine nodded fervently. "He is."

"So, are you able to come out for a drink? Invite your band mates as well, we can all catch up, it's been ages."

"It really has," Blaine said with a nod. He pulled his phone out his pocket and began typing out a text to George. "Where do you want to go? I can tell them to meet us there."

Nick named a bar a short walk from the hotel and Blaine sent the text, receiving a reply almost immediately. "They'll join us there in about twenty minutes," he informed Nick, shoving his phone back in his pocket as they started to walk away from the hotel.

It was nice being able to walk along a street without people taking his picture, and in LA of all places, a city more known for paparazzi than New York. He felt a sharp pang of sadness that Kurt wasn't there with him, sharing this moment of peace, an unexpected oasis in the vast, hot city. He wanted Kurt to meet Nick as well; he knew the two would get along. They were both witty, down-to-earth people with a soothing aura that made them comforting to be around.

The bar Nick had chosen was relatively small compared to some of the other LA bars, but it had a good atmosphere, fairly lively in spite of the early hour and its lack of customers. The music was an enjoyable mix of the new and the old and the drinks weren't overpriced like some other places, where more was charged for drinks just because of the bar's popularity. They sat down at a table away from the other occupied ones. Blaine asked Nick about his job, girlfriend, and everything that had happened since they had last seen each other. He sipped happily at his drink as he listened to Nick describe one of the more interesting cases he was currently working on - Nick was a lawyer - and made a mental note to invite Nick over to New York to visit some time.

There was a shout of greeting and Blaine looked up, setting his glass down on the table and smiling at the sounds of the familiar voices of his band mates. They all greeted Nick enthusiastically, Nick thanking George for organising this. Seth went to the bar to get drinks while the others settled down and began to discuss LA, jobs, family, touring, and New York.

Blaine found himself glancing at his watching and sighing a little when he saw it was a little after eleven. He could picture Kurt in his apartment, maybe reading a book or watching some TV, perhaps sitting wondering what Blaine was doing right now. He'd be alone since Rachel would be doing a show and Blaine wanted nothing more than to just be able to stand up, leave the bar, walk to Kurt's apartment and join him on the couch. He would wrap his arms around him, feeling his boyfriend nuzzle against his chest as they lazily watched a movie or a Project Runway re-run, Blaine grinning and shaking his head fondly at Kurt's critical comments on each outfit, the Parson's student side of him showing. He loved being out with his friends and it was great spending time with Nick again, but he loved being with Kurt more - being home.

With a soft sigh he returned his attention to the conversation around him. The bar was a lot more crowded and more people were arriving as the night wore on. His friends seemed to become louder and rowdier in direct proportion to the ever increasing number of people in the bar. Most of them were tipsy now, laughing too loud at jokes and with too bright eyes and lightly flushed faces. He fiddled with the rim of the glass of what was only his second drink as he listened to George recount some story about a guy he had tried to pick up at a bar in New York. He wasn't in the mood to drink much and he really didn't want to try and perform tomorrow with a hangover, so he downed the last mouthful of his drink and declined Nick's offer of another.

Over the next half hour the amount of people entering the bar doubled and the building was now crowded and loud. Leaning across the table, Blaine yelled at Nick that he was going back to the hotel. Blaine didn't think Nick had heard him over the noise, but then his friend drank the last of his drink with a neat flip of his wrist and got to his feet, shouting over the music, talking, and laughter that he and Blaine were leaving and that they should all meet up again soon, before edging around the table and joining Blaine in squeezing their way out of the bar. Blaine paused outside the doors, gratefully breathing in lungfuls of air that wasn't heavy with alcohol, sweat, and the exhalations of dozens of people packed into a small area.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" Nick asked as they set off back to Blaine's hotel. "You looked like you were in your own little world for a good part of the night." Nick hadn't drunk enough to reach the tipsy stage and had apparently been paying more attention to Blaine than he had thought.

"I had a good time, it was great, all of us hanging out together again," Blaine said sincerely. "I was just thinking - that's all."

"About Kurt?" Nick asked knowingly as they crossed the road.

Blaine lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. "Maybe," he said shyly.

Nick nodded. "You wish he could have been with us." He glanced sideways at Blaine. "I'm guessing he was too busy with his show to come out here with you?"

Blaine nodded and Nick made a sympathetic noise. "It must be hard," he said as the hotel came into view, the doors and valet area all lit up by strategically placed lights, "you both have busy schedules - Kurt with his filming and you with your touring - and you're both celebrities, your presence is wanted at lots of different events..." He trailed off and was silent for a moment until they were walking towards the hotel doors. "It must be hard," he repeated.

Blaine didn't say anything, turning over Nick's words in his mind. He knew he and Kurt didn't have the easiest of relationships - the last few weeks had been clear proof of that - but he had never really thought it through fully before, what he and Kurt would have to go through. They had got a taster when Blaine had been on that small national tour, but there were international tours to come, which lasted months, not weeks, and it wouldn't be easy for Kurt to jump on a plane and come visit him for the weekend like he did last time in LA, and with Kurt's work it would be tricky for him to find time to join Blaine whilst he was on tour. The thought of all these problems that they would soon have to face, that were hiding just around the corner, hit Blaine like a punch in the stomach from a fist made of steel, the air forced out of his lungs in a whoosh that sounded loud to his own ears. He sucked in a breath and clenched his jaw determinedly; he and Kurt would work it all out. They would be fine.

Nick didn't seem to notice the effect his words had had on Blaine, the alcohol not allowing him to be that perceptive, and he turned to Blaine with a smile when they reached the hotel doors.

"It was great seeing you again, Blaine; I wish it were possible for us to hang out more often."

Blaine returned his smile, pushing the lingering thoughts of his relationship to the back of his mind. "Yeah, it's a pity we both live on different coasts, but you have to come to New York to visit some time and meet Kurt. Just let me know when you've got a free weekend or something and I'll work something out. You can bring your girlfriend; I'll pay for your flights."

Nick's face lit up. "That would be fantastic, Blaine, thanks!" He stepped forward and pulled Blaine into a hug.

Blaine smiled and gave his friend a squeeze before stepping back. He glanced over his shoulder at the hotel. "Do you want to have one last drink in the hotel bar? It'll be quieter."

"Sure," Nick said, and they turned and headed into the cool, marble-floored lobby of the hotel, passing the long wooden reception desk and large, vibrant floral arrangements in tasteful vases set on polished wooden tables to the bar.

They reminisced about their Dalton days over their drinks while the gentle sounds of a piano played softly through the hidden speakers and neatly-dressed bartenders served hotel guests, who were talking in low rumbles. They lingered for a little while after the last mouthfuls of their drinks had been swallowed, until Nick reluctantly announced that he had better get home as it was coming on to one in the morning.

After bidding Nick goodbye, Blaine headed upstairs to his room, smiling at Kurt's bowtie which lay on a chair for him to wear tomorrow. He wished he could call Kurt, but it was late and Kurt had a meeting with his producers early Saturday morning. Kurt would be asleep by now.

After one last wistful glance at the bowtie, he started to get ready for bed.

Kurt cursed under his breath as he struggled to unlock his apartment door while juggling several files of notes from his meeting with his producers. Tucking the slimmest file under his chin, he struggled for another moment, before finally managing to slide the key in the lock with a small huff of relief. Turning the key, he unlocked the door and shoved at it with the shoulder of his file-laden arm so that it swung open.

The door had barely thudded shut behind him when a rather wild-eyed Rachel came rushing towards him, her face set in lines of apprehension.

"Oh, Kurt I'm so, so sorry! I never dreamed he would do something like this!"

Kurt frowned at her and pushed past her to dump the files on the coffee table in the living room. He was really not in the mood for one of Rachel's mood swings where she became overly dramatic about everything. He could sense Rachel hovering nervously behind him, wanting to say something, but uncertain about how to deal with Kurt's reaction. He sighed and slowly turned to face her. "What are you talking about?" he asked wearily.

Rachel looked more upset than worried now. "You don't know?"

Kurt's frown deepened as he took in Rachel's expression and her slightly shocked tone of voice. His heart rate quickened, a reflex reaction to Rachel's behaviour, which was beginning to scare him a little - this wasn't Rachel being a drama queen, this was something else.

"Don't know what?"

Instead of answering, Rachel strode quickly from the room.

Kurt stared at her retreating back, confusion and worry flooding through him in equal measures, making his heart contract in sudden fear. He jogged after her, catching up with his friend just as she entered her bedroom. "Rachel, what's going on?"

Still she didn't speak, just loaded up some entertainment news website on her laptop and clicked through to one of the current top articles. Biting down on her lip and shooting Kurt a teary glance, she slid the laptop closer to him so he could see the article displayed on the screen, the large title catching his eyes immediately and causing the air in his lungs to freeze.

‘Blaine Anderson's secret rendezvous with mystery man.'

He stared at the screen in disbelief; it must be a mistake, just some stupid reporter posting fabricated rubbish. But then he saw the photos.

They were clearly taken late at night, but the lights surrounding the front of the hotel provided enough illumination for everything in the photo to be as clear as if it had been taken in broad daylight. Blaine, a few curls loose on his forehead, was embracing another man who was taller, dark-haired, and handsome. The second photo showed the pair of them entering the hotel together, walking so close that their hands were almost brushing.

Kurt didn't know what to think, what to feel. He didn't know if he was still breathing, he didn't know where he was. He was numb as he scrolled further down the webpage to read the accompanying article.

Blaine Anderson may be famously dating talk show host Kurt Hummel, but that didn't stop the twenty-three year old ‘Ignorance' singer from spending a night out in Los Angeles last night with a handsome, dark-haired mystery man, before inviting the man back to his hotel.

A source confirms that Anderson spent most of Friday evening in a bar with the man before they left and headed back to the hotel where Anderson is currently staying while in LA for a festival performance. The pair were photographed embracing outside the hotel and the source states that the subject of Anderson's affections didn't leave the hotel again until the next morning.

Anderson has been dating Hummel since late June after the pair met on Hummel's talk show - ‘The Kurt Hummel Show' - but it appears that Anderson is using the time away from New York and his boyfriend to engage in activities sure to disappoint his large fan base.

Kurt's gaze moved back up to the photos of its own accord. He didn't want to look at them, yet he couldn't tear his eyes away, couldn't look away from Blaine's arms wrapped around another man...

"Kurt?" Rachel spoke up tentatively, the sound partially snapping him out of his numbness and he scanned the article again, phrases jumping out at him like they were written in large, bold font:

‘...that didn't stop the twenty-three year old ‘Ignorance' singer from spending a night out in Los Angeles last night with a handsome, dark-haired mystery man...'

‘A source confirms that Anderson spent most of Friday evening in a bar with the man before they left and headed back to the hotel where Anderson is currently staying...'

‘...subject of Anderson's affections didn't leave the hotel again until the next morning.'

‘...it appears that Anderson is using the time away from New York and his boyfriend to engage in activities sure to disappoint...'

"Kurt?" Rachel repeated, her voice anxious.

Kurt just shook his head and left the room, walking blindly down the short hallway to his own bedroom, barely hearing the door slam shut behind him once he was inside. He leaned against the door, breathing heavily.

Part of him was screaming that there had been a mistake, that there was another explanation for all of this. Blaine loved him; there was no way that he would do something like this. He had been disappointed that Kurt couldn't join him in LA; he would never cheat on him. But another part of him reminded in a loud, scoffing voice that these reporters had nearly always been right in the past about details to do with their relationship, so why would they be wrong now? Plus they had those photos to prove it. He splayed his hands across his suddenly twisting stomach - he felt like he was going to be sick.

Staggering over to his bed, he fought the rising nausea. He collapsed onto the bed, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling, the nausea gone, numb once again. His mind spun as he tried to process that his boyfriend, who he loved and thought loved him, had cheated on him. The thought was as sour as the bile that had risen in his throat earlier.

He didn't know how long he laid there, staring up at the ceiling as if he was carved out of ice, but when his phone rang - the sudden, harsh sound startling him out of his frozen position - night had fallen outside his bedroom window and the room was lit only by the faint glow of streetlights and a small slice of light entering the room through the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. He scooped up his phone and blinked down at the name on the screen - Blaine. His thumb pressed the button to accept the call before he had decided if he was ready to talk to his boyfriend or not.

"Hey, honey, how are you?"

Blaine's voice was so cheerful and so normal that Kurt clutched at his stomach again as pain burned through him, as if something was squeezing his insides in a tight clamp.

"I-" Kurt choked out, and now he could feel the warning signs of approaching tears: his breathing uneven, his eyes burning, his throat choking up. He swallowed thickly. "I-"

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice was full of anxious concern. "Kurt, baby, what's wrong?"

Something, whether it was Blaine's words or the tone of his voice or even just hearing him say his name like that, Kurt didn't know, but something just caused him to snap and the tears dried up and the anger hit. "I'll tell you what's wrong," he said furiously. "What's wrong is that I trusted you and believed that you loved me when you obviously never gave a shit about me!"

"W- What?"

"Being disappointed and upset that I was too busy to come out to LA with you was all an act, wasn't it? I bet you were glad that I couldn't come so you could go out and chat-up some guy at a bar and then take him back to your hotel!" His voice had risen to a shout now and he could hear Blaine stuttering on the other end of the line, but he didn't give him the chance to stumble through a cover story. "So, did you do this when you were on that last tour? Is this what you do every time you're away? Just find some guy for a one-night stand? No wonder you were so tired during that tour, you were fucking around every night!"

He was screaming into the phone now, no longer on the bed, instead pacing around his room in frustration; frustration at himself for being fooled by Blaine and for still loving him.

"Was I just a way to get you some more publicity?" he scoffed. "I bet you were the one who told them all about our relationship and where we would be so that paparazzi could find us. I can't believe I didn't see it before!"

His voice had reached a high, indignant shriek and he was forced to pause to catch his breath.

"Kurt, listen to me, please," Blaine begged, his voice choked. "I don't know what someone has told you, but I swear I have never done anything to hurt you. I love you."

Kurt raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you don't know your secret's out, do you?" he asked coldly. "Well, why don't you get your computer and I'll send you the link to the article. That way you can read what everyone else already has."

"Kurt-"

Kurt ignored him, throwing his phone aside as he stormed out the room, entered Rachel's room, and snatched up her laptop from where he had abandoned it earlier, the article appearing on the screen when he brushed his fingers over the touchpad. He stomped back to his room, not noticing Rachel hovering nervously near the entrance to the living room, dropped the laptop on the bed and quickly sent Blaine an email with the link to the article.

He snatched up the phone again. "There you are, now you can read the same delightful article that I enjoyed when I got home from work."

"I don't-" Blaine broke off and Kurt could tell he was reading the article. He glared at his bedroom wall, fuming.

"Shit," Blaine muttered. "Kurt, you have to believe me, that reporter has got the wrong end of the stick. That guy is called Nick, he's-"

"I'm not really interested in hearing about your fuck-buddy, Blaine."

"He's not- Nick isn't- He's my friend from high school, Kurt! Nick and I went to Dalton together; he lives in LA now with his girlfriend." He put extra emphasis on the word and Kurt snorted - that didn't stop some people. "He heard I was in LA and had a bit of free time, so we went out and had a few drinks with George and Seth and the others. When the bar started to get really loud and busy around midnight, Nick and I left and walked back to the hotel since it's easier for him to get a taxi from there. I invited him into the hotel bar for one last drink in a quieter setting where we could catch-up more; we hadn't seen each other in almost a year. Then he left around an hour later and I went to bed."

Blaine's voice was choked and thick with tears and Kurt hated that his heart still ached at hearing Blaine so upset and that he was filled with the fierce, overwhelming need to hold him and comfort him.

He gritted his teeth, clenching his fist by his side. "Articles like this have been true in the past, why should this one be any different?" He was surprised by how cold and harsh his voice was and apparently Blaine was as well, as there was a moment of silence.

"Kurt, please," Blaine begged and Kurt squeezed his eyes shut, gripping the phone so hard he was surprised it didn't crack, Blaine's voice hitting him right in the heart. "Go- go onto the Dalton Academy website and look at the pictures from past Warblers groups." He seemed to sense that Kurt hadn't made a move to do this because he added, "Please, Kurt."

Striding back over to the bed, he yanked the laptop towards him and pulled up Dalton's website, navigating through it until he found photos of the Warblers from when Blaine was at the school. A tiny part of him softened at the sight of a teenage Blaine - looking handsome in a red and navy blazer - smiling jubilantly at the front of a group of boys crowded around a trophy. He scanned through the other faces and paused when he recognised a dark-haired boy near the edge of the group - the man who had been with Blaine in the article's photos as a teenager.

"Did you find them?" Blaine asked.

Kurt swallowed. "You went to high school with him, so what?"

"It proves that I'm not lying to you and that he wasn't just some random guy that I picked up at a bar like that article implies!" Blaine said, raising his voice. "I'm not cheating on you, Kurt! I never have and I never will! I would never do anything to hurt you, why the fuck can't you see that?" He exhaled heavily. "There's something else I want you to look up; maybe that will convince you that I love you and I'm not fucking around. Go on the festival's website and look at videos from my performance today."

Unsure as to why that would prove anything, Kurt did as he said, finding several different videos of parts of Blaine's performance. "Any particular song you want me to watch?"

"'All I Wanted'."

Unmuting the laptop's speakers, Kurt hit play with a shaking hand. ‘All I Wanted' was a song Blaine had written about him and he really didn't want to listen to him sing it.

The video started with Blaine introducing the song to a cheering crowd, a soft, tender smile on his face as he said it was about someone very special to him, someone who made his life more wonderful and beautiful than he could ever have imagined. Kurt curled in on himself, tears dripping from his face onto the knees of his jeans. When Blaine raised his hand and lightly tugged at the edge of the bowtie he was wearing, the one Kurt had made for him, the one he had promised he would wear to the performance so that a piece of Kurt was with him, Kurt broke down completely and started sobbing loudly.

On the video still playing on the laptop, Blaine smiled. "This is for you, Kurt," he said into the microphone, before starting to strum the opening chords.

Collapsing down onto his side so he was lying in a foetal position on the bed, Kurt sobbed brokenly, tears turning his face red and blotchy and his breath choking unevenly out of him as Blaine's singing filled the room. He could hear Blaine on the other end of the phone line trying to calm him down and get him to speak, but Kurt was incapable of speech right now.

It wasn't until a few minutes after the video had ended that Kurt, hiccupping, managed to croak out, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not trusting you and for believing that stupid article instead, I'm sorry for everything I said, I-"

"Shh, Kurt," Blaine said gently, "it's ok. I know it's hard for you with me being away on tour a lot and articles like this are going to be written, but you've just got to believe me when I say I love you."

Kurt bit down on his trembling lip. "I love you, too," he whimpered, more tears spilling down his face. "You shouldn't forgive me for this; I didn't trust you and accused you of cheating without letting you tell me the truth. I'm an awful person, you deserve better than me, Blaine."

"Don't you dare, Kurt," Blaine warned, his voice suddenly very serious. "Don't you dare think like that. You are a wonderful person; you just messed up like everyone does at times. I forgive you and I love you and I don't want anyone else but you."

Kurt hiccupped again, wanting nothing more than to bury his face in Blaine's chest and stay there for hours.

"Tomorrow I'm getting the first flight that I can back to New York and I'm taking you out and we're going to get cheesecake and put all of this behind us, ok?"

Sniffing, Kurt nodded. "Ok."

"I love you, Kurt," Blaine said softly. "Don't ever forget it."

Wiping at his tears, Kurt sniffed again. "Love you, too."