Kurt POV

"Rachel, I honestly don't know what to do. I have never had feelings like this, not even with Erik who I was sure was the love of my life." Kurt was pacing the floor of his home. Isabelle was right. She was always right, goddamn it. He needed some time. He had finished the shoot, barely. Isabelle noticed how zoned out he seemed to be all day so she had told him to go home for the day and come back on Monday when he was refreshed. He didn't want to admit to her but that is exactly what he needed. He needed to go home and think things through.

"Love of your life? Kurt I think you were so blinded by him that you overlooked the fact that your apartment is now minus his things and you haven't even been effected by this. What you need is to stop thinking about it for a little while; you have been dwelling on this all day. It's almost 6 o'clock, Kurt. Why don't you come to the show tonight? I can leave a ticket up at the front for you? Then we can go get some ice cream after, you, Finn, and me. Just like the old days, what do you say?"

Rachel made a beautiful Elphaba but Kurt had already seen it so many times. He was there opening night a year ago, when she made her leading lady début, he had been there on Thanksgiving last year when he couldn't go back to Lima for the holiday, and he had been there the night that Finn, his step brother, had moved to New York to be with Rachel. Not to mention the several other random nights he decided to surprise her at the theater. "No thanks Rach. I think I'm just going to stay home tonight and wallow in my own self pity."

"Kurt Hummel, you will do no such thing. I can't having you spend the first night alone in your apartment by yourself."

Kurt furrowed his brow. "I hadn't thought about that but now I am so thank you for that."

"Sorry," Rachel said apologetically. Kurt was now questioning why he had ever called to ask for advice. As much as Kurt loved his best friend she sucked at making you feel better or knowing the right thing to say.

"I am just going to throw myself one big giant pity party for one. It's decided."

"Kurt, please, Finn and I can come over tonight, we can get a gallon of ice cream, three spoons, and just bitch the whole night, what do you say?"

Kurt was climbing the spiral staircase the second floor where he had his home office. "Well as great a time as that sounds, I think I'm going to pass. I have a ton of work to do tonight. I will be knee deep in fabric swatches and lookbooks and I should really start on that wedding spread before I have that skype call with Vera on Wednesday and..."

"Ok!" Rachel shouted. "I get it you don't want to hang out."

"That's not it. I..." Rachel cut him off.

"Look Kurt, everyone goes through break ups differently. You want to be alone. I get it. Just know that while I'm on stage, if you need to talk, my answering machine is a great listener...and a great placeholder until I can call you back and you can have the real thing." Kurt knew it was heartfelt, he could hear it in her voice. It wasn't the NYADA trained sincerity voice; it was the, Rachel Berry genuine concern voice.

"Thanks Rach but I think I'll be ok."

"Ok, well I gotta go. All that green makeup won't put itself on."

"Ok, I love you."

"Love you too."

"Break a leg tonight."

"Thanks."

"Bye."
Kurt hung up and sat down at his desk. He pulled out the lookbooks for the fall collections from some of the top designers that he had stored in his messenger bag. An hour later, Kurt had taken down many notes, most reading 'Blaine' with different flourishes.

Kurt gave up and picked up his cell phone and dialed a number he had only ever called once before.

Blaine POV

Blaine and Wes were running around behind the counter, just the two of them. Blaine had let everyone go for the day as Friday evenings tended to be slower. Unfortunately Blaine had no idea that there was some kind of big club opening tonight and large crowds of young people, maybe early to mid twenties, were piling in by the droves. Blaine and Wes only had about another hour before it was all over and they could close their doors but until then, Blaine was single handedly making drink orders as Wes was on cash register and food duty. They were scurrying around behind the long mahogany counter, Blaine making probably the most complicated coffee order he had ever heard in his eight years in the business. A blonde woman with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail with an immensely pretentious look on her face ordered a six-Splenda, no-foam, 130-degrees nonfat latte, with the Splenda stirred in before the milk is added.

The phone rings just as Blaine was pouring the milk. He reached over and grabbed the phone and hits 'talk' before resting it between his shoulder and ear. "Interval Café. This is Blaine."

"Hey Blaine. It's Kurt."

"Hey." Blaine was out of breath from the entirely too fast paced of running he had been doing. "What's up?"

"Are you free tonight?"

"Why? You want to take me out so you can get drunk again?" Blaine asked jokingly.

"Ugh, don't remind me. No, as Rachel so kindly pointed out to me, like, an hour ago, tonight is my first night alone in the apartment so I was hoping you could come over and ease me into it. It'll be fun. We can order take out, watch a movie, eat ice cream. What do you say?"

"Sounds perfect but the shop is still open and we are swamped right now."

"Oh my god. You are too busy. I'm sorry. I wasn't really thinking. Don't worry about it I will just..."

"Kurt!" Blaine cut him off from his rant. "I want to come over. I had a blast last night. The shop closes in an hour. Can I come over then? Say about 8:30?"

"Yeah." Kurt's voice got so high; Blaine swore he heard a crack. "Yeah, that's great."

Blaine was mentally doing flips at the thought of seeing Kurt in his own home. "Ok. What's the address again?" Blaine now finished the snooty woman's coffee, handed it over with a smile.

"Oh! Oh my god I almost forgot. It's 16 Jay Street. I'll have to buzz you in."

"Ok." Blaine wrote down the address. "I'll bring dessert."

"No you really don't have to..."

"Kurt. I want to. It's just going to be leftovers from today so don't get excited."

Kurt giggled sounding a bit nervous Blaine thought. "Ok. Well I'll see you then. And Blaine?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry that I bothered you at work again."

"Nonsense. I always have time for you." Blaine smiled at the next customer in line.

"Ok, well I'll see you soon."

"See you soon."

Kurt POV

Kurt was nervous. Why was he nervous? His apartment is very large, so big that to an outsider, you could get lost in it but not him. He was pacing a hole in the floor walking through the living room to his expansive kitchen, up to his room, through his closet where he would stop off, check his outfit, decided that it needed to be changed, look through the closet, not like a single thing, even if everything was designer names, decide what he was wearing would be fine for a casual night with a friend, then proceed back down the winding stairs to the living room. He probably did this lap ten or twelve times. It was 8:32. He was late. Where was he? He probably wasn't coming. That was when he heard the recognizable buzzing noise. He ran full speed ahead toward the intercom and even slid on the hardwood floor, Risky Business style. He pressed the button. "Hello?"

"Hey its me."

His heart leapt. "Come on up. Just press 4 in the elevator, doors will open right to the apartment." Then he pressed the button that released the door.

Kurt waited nervously over by the elevator doors until he could hear the elevator shaft moving up. The industrial style elevator gate rose to the ceiling after settling in front of Kurt's apartment. "Hey." Kurt went in for a hug once Blaine had stepped into his apartment. He wrapped his arms around Blaine making sure to keep it friendly. "How are you?"

"Good. Tired. And yourself?"

"Good. Fine. Tired. I've been catching up on so much of my work." Lies! They were still in the embrace now lasting a little too long to be considered friendly. Kurt found himself nuzzling into the crook of the curly headed boy's neck as Blaine unconsciously started to rub circles into Kurt's back. They must have both realized quickly what they were doing because they released in a hurry.

"Uh...what's in the container?" Kurt gestured down at the 'Interval Café' pastry box.
"Oh." Blaine handed Kurt the box. "They are cheesecake brownies."

"Oh my god that sounds delicious." Kurt walked over to the fridge to put them in there for later.

"Great place you have here. Must have cost a fortune. Never really pegged you as a Tribeca kind of guy though."

"Yeah it is a little pricey but nothing that we-I can't afford." Lie! Why all the lying just tell him the truth.

"Well it's lovely."

"Thank you. You hungry?"

"Starved."

Kurt took Blaine's coat even though it seemed unreasonable for the mid-June heat. "Let's find some food. What are you in the mood for? I have Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern, Chinese..."

"Chinese. Oh lord. I haven't ate out of Chinese cartons with only chop sticks since college."

"Well than Chinese it is. What would you like?"

Blaine looked over the menu for a minute and finally settled on a General Tso Chicken. Kurt picked up the phone to order. "Yes I would like to place a delivery order...Kurt...I need a number five combination and a number one." Kurt covered up the speaker with his hand and leaned over to Blaine. "How spicy?" He whispered.

"Hot."

Kurt looked at him questioningly before relaying the message. "Hot...yes...that's it. Thank you." Kurt hung up. "It'll be here in 20 minutes. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"What do you got?"

Kurt opened the fridge. Not much. I think all we have is water, diet Coke, and some beer that Erik left."

Blaine laughed to himself. "Water will do." Kurt handed it to him. "Thanks."

They two men continued to talk about their days. Blaine talked about a lady that brought her toddler in and then proceeded to talk on the phone while her child ran ramped through the shop, touching all the stirrers and he talked about the late rush that him and Wes had to deal with right before closing.

Kurt chatted about the shoot and how Harper, his assistant, was having a hard time keeping the models in line and how one had even showed up late which pushed back the entire day. It was weird. Kurt thought about how easy it was to talk to Blaine about such simple things like his day. Erik and him and never chatted about their days, and when they did, the conversation was short or it felt forced but with Blaine the dialogue kept moving forward with ease. Kurt was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the buzzer go off. He excused himself momentarily to answer it. He grabbed all of the bags and set them on the counter before paying the Asian man, most likely in his early twenties. He shut the elevator door and the man disappeared.

"How much do I owe you for the food?"

"Oh please Blaine, your money is no good here. It is the least I can do after the fiasco last night, which is still haunting me to this second." He reached to place a hand on his head and started to rub his temple.

Blaine laughed at Kurt's actions. "Well, thank you."

Kurt just nodded once as he took the food over to a coffee table in the living room and set them down. Both men sat down on the ground Indian style opposite from each other so they could face one another.

"So, Anderson," Kurt started, "I have known you for two years and I feel like I hardly know you at all."
Blaine grinned. "Well I hardly know anything about you."

"You know more about me than I know of you. Trust me. I am way more open than you are. You want to know my knowledge of you? You own the café, your best friend is Wes, and you have brown hair. That's it."

Blaine was roaring now, which brought an unconscious smile to Kurt's face. "Ok, well let's make a game of it. You ask me a question, I answer, and you answer the same question."

Kurt nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

"You go first."

"Ok." Kurt thought for a minute as he dipped his Szechwan pork into some soy sauce. "Why Interval Café?"

"Why the name or why coffee?"

"Both."

Blaine shoved a piece of chicken in his mouth before speaking. "Well coffee because it's how I worked my way through college. I have eight years on coffee making under my belt. The name is simple. Music was-is a huge part of who I am." Blaine scooped up some rice. "Why Vogue?"

"Well I first came to New York with my best friend Rachel and we were going to go to NYADA together. She got in, I didn't. I started to intern for Isabelle at Vogue right after and she suggested I go to Parsons for fashion, so I did. I graduated and worked my way up from intern to Isabelle's assistant to creative director."

"Very impressive."

"Thanks."

"Where are you from?"

"Ohio. Lima, to be exact. You?"

"Born in Connecticut but starting at 13, I went to boarding school in Westerville, Ohio actually."

Kurt looked surprised. "Oh my god where at?"

"Dalton Academy? I graduated from there in 2013. Wes was 2011 What school did you go to?"

"McKinley? I was really into glee club. It's the only place I really had friends. I graduated in 2012."

Blaine shook his head. "Small world. I can't believe our glee clubs never competed together."

"You were in glee club too? Yeah Wes roped me in. I was alright."
"Well you will just have to sing for me some time."

"Maybe." Kurt looked up from his food to find Blaine staring at him with these butterscotch colored eyes that kind of resembled a puppy if he looked close enough. Blaine snapped out of it. "When did you come out?"

"15. You?"

Blaine struggled to answer. "Three years ago. First boyfriend?"

"Oh, um Erik. He wasn't my first rodeo if you know what I mean but he was definitely my first real boyfriend." Kurt paused. "You know he wasn't always like that. The pretentious asshole he is now. When I first met him, I was assisting Isabelle on a shoot and this gorgeous man walked in. A no name model at the time, just starting out. Out of everyone in the room he chose to talk to me. We got coffee after and we talked. It was a friendship at first and then it turned into a relationship. It just seemed like the logical next step. Before I knew it, he signed his first real modeling contract with Guess and Levi and he used his first paycheck to put a down payment on the apartment. It all just kid of went downhill from there. He started to hang around people I didn't like. He would stay out late, sometimes he wouldn't eve come home. I think I always knew he was cheating on me but I overlooked it because I was so blinded by love. I did love him, you know."

"Not anymore?"

The question hung in the air unanswered. He didn't know how to answer. He changed the subject before the tears he was holding back escaped. "How about you?"

"Ben. I was 16. We were in glee club together." Blaine laughed at something to himself. "What an asshole he turned out to be."

Kurt laughed. "Favorite color?"

"Red. You?"

Kurt was looking right into Blaine's eyes. "Russet." Where had that come from. My favorite color is blue.

"Best place you have ever gone."

"Oh. Paris. I went to fashion week there with Isabelle about three years ago. It was gorgeous. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to live there. How about you?"

"Rome. My brother and I went across Europe the summer after graduation. It was beautiful and it let me actually use my Italian."

"You know Italian?"

Blaine smirked. "And French."

Kurt shook it off. "Dogs or cats?"

Blaine thought. "Dogs. I want to be able to play fetch one day. Doesn't mean I am apposed to cats. I have a stray that has taken up residence on my fire escape. I put out food and water after I realized he wasn't leaving. What about you?"
"Uh...Neither I guess. I didn't have pets growing up and Erik was always allergic to the dander so I never allowed myself to entertain the thought." Kurt thought for a long while before asking the next question. "What about family. Other than the brother you just mentioned I have never heard you talk about anyone in your family."

Blaine stiffened. "Nothing to talk about. I have a dad, he's a lawyer. My mom was-is a psychiatrist. They both are back in Connecticut." Then he loosened up. "And I have a brother, Cooper, he lives in LA."

"Cooper Anderson?" A light bulb clicked in Kurt's head. "Your brother is Cooper Anderson? Like action star, next Brad Pitt Copper Anderson?"

"That would be him. I take it you've heard of him." Blaine smiled.
"Uh, yeah I've heard of him. I use to have a poster of him in my room in high school." Kurt's eyes grew wide and he threw his head into his palms. "Did I just admit that to you?"

"Yeah you did but it's fine. Most people did. How about you? Close to the family?"

"Oh yeah. My dad is my saving grace. We have been through everything together."

Blaine looked on in awe. "What about your mom?"

Kurt went stiff. "She died when I was eight."

"Oh my god Kurt. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. It was a long time ago. My dad remarried. Carole is great. My stepbrother is awesome too. He is extremely protective of me, which is great to have around. He's actually dating my best friend. They live in New York. You will have to meet them sometime.

"That sounds great." Blaine looked at Kurt's carton. "You want to start the movie?"
"Sure."
They both cleared off the coffee table and settled on Notting Hill. Blaine said that he had never see it and Kurt insisted that they watch it.

Blaine went to the fridge and grabbed his dessert while Kurt found forks as they both had opted to eat right out of the container.

They settled in on the large white couch in front of a big screen TV. Kurt hit play and the opening credits rolled as he dug into his first forkful. He brought the dessert to his mouth. His eyes grew wide. "Oh my god, Blaine. This is amazing. It's heavenly. I actually think I have died and gone to heaven. Reese and Lacy did a great job."
Blaine smirked. "They didn't make it."

"Who did?"

"I did."

"You? Oh my god. Ok well now that I know about your little secret, you will be baking a lot more for me master chef."

Blaine laughed and settled his eyes on the screen.

An hour into the movie they, had now finished off an entire, half a cheesecake by themselves and had somehow gone from opposite sides of the couch to sitting hip-to-hip, sharing the middle cushion. It had probably happened sometime around the fork fight over the last few bites of cheesecake. Blaine had obviously let Kurt win.

Kurt could feel his eyes growing heavy. He momentarily leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder to rest for a second but once it was down he never picked it back up. It felt good. It felt...right. Blaine's arm that had been stretched across the back of the couch, made its way to pull Kurt in tighter as Kurt felt Blaine's head fall to his own. Kurt, now lying across the couch, experimentally laid a hand across Blaine's chest. He could feel all of his muscles straining under his shirt. Kurt nuzzled into the crook of Blaine's neck and inhaled. Coffee beans.

Blaine started to rub Kurt's arm which somehow had been calming because the last thing Kurt remembered thinking before dozing off was how the combination of Blaine's touch and the smell of stale coffee on his shirt seemed like something he could get use to.