“I’m fine, Tina,” he spat as he brushed past her. “Is he gone?” He peered through the little window in the door that led to the front of the shop. Bob was still there but the two college kids were gone.

Tina pushed the door open and strode past him. “Yes. He’s gone. But he invited us over tonight. He wants us there at eight.”

Blaine grabbed the basket of sugar and sugar substitute packets to refill the canisters at the drip stand. “Why?”

Tina shrugged and scooped coffee grounds into a filter and hoisted up the dispenser to be filled. “I don’t know. But he invited us so we’re going.”

“I can’t.”

“Blaine, it’s going to be okay.”

“No, it’s not, Tina.” Blaine whirled around to face her. “He has a boyfriend. He was moved on and he couldn’t even be bothered to tell me. Nothing is okay about this. I was just stupid enough to think that all he needed was time to forgive me and that we’d work it out. But in reality, he needed time to forgive me and find someone who won’t break his heart.” He glanced at his watch and untied his apron, pulling it over his head. “My shift is over. I’ll see you at home.”

He threw his apron over his shoulder and left the shop before Tina could say anything. The short walk to their apartment seemed to take forever. Blaine dragged his feet up the four flights of stairs and threw himself on the couch they had found in the alleyway a week after they moved in. He should try to get some homework done. But he really just wanted to throw a pity party for himself.

It hadn’t even been worth it. Cheating. Making out with Eli had been boring and awkward. He used too much tongue when he kissed and his fingernails had been much too long for Blaine’s taste. And it didn’t even mean anything to him. That was the worst part. Eli was like a like aggressive version of Sebastian but Sebastian at least seemed to like Blaine as a person. Eli just looked at him like a pair of lips to kiss and a cock to suck.

He remembered the first time he and Kurt had made out. They had been in Kurt’s bedroom back in Lima and Finn was just downstairs with Quinn, making muffins or something. Kurt had put on one of his old Judy Garland records he’d bought on eBay and they were laying beside each other on his bed. Kurt was nestled under his arm, his head on Blaine’s chest, eyes closed and losing himself in the music. Every now and then he’d sing along to a part his particularly liked. As one song ended, Blaine had tilted Kurt’s chin up to give him what was supposed to be a light kiss that quickly progressed to shirts being tugged over their heads and a small hickey on Blaine’s chest.

Back in the present, Blaine groaned, burying his face in a pillow. Each memory of Kurt gave him pangs in his chest. He didn’t want to go that night but he knew that Tina would make him. He forced himself to get up and change out of his work clothes. Pulled out a pair of loose fitting seersucker pants from his dresser and pulled them on. As soon as he pulled the zipper up, he reconsidered the choice. He had worn those pants the night the had sex for the first time.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the window as that night replayed in his mind. How Kurt had felt against him, how his voice sounded, his breath on his skin. The whispered ‘I love yous’. The promises both had made. And he’d lost it all for nothing.

“Enough.” Blaine stood up and pulled his shirt over his head and tugged on an old white henley that he knew Kurt hated. He undid the buttons at the top of the shirt, not really carrying if he was underdressed for the evening.

He heard Tina come in and Blaine stood up to meet her in the living area. She saw that he had changed and smiled broadly at him.

“So you’re going?” she asked, kicking off her flats.

“I’m going,” he replied.

Tina screeched in excitement and ran to her room changing in record time. She grabbed Blaine’s hand and pulled him to the door. “Let’s go!”

When they arrived at Kurt and Rachel’s, Brody answered the door.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” He didn’t open the door all the way but they could hear Kurt and Rachel’s voices yelling in the background.

“What’s going on?” Blaine asked. He tried to peer over Brody’s shoulder but Rachel’s penchant for large, burly men made that difficult.

“Yeah, Kurt invited us over.” Tina was confused too.

Brody blushed bright red. “They’re just having a little disagreement right now.”

“I can’t believe you broke up with Adam, Kurt!” Rachel screeched. “He was so good for you!”

Blaine and Tina stared at Brody who nodded in confirmation.

They heard Kurt sigh in exasperation. “But he’s not Blaine,” he said as if it were painfully obvious.”

“But Blaine is just like Finn, all he ever did was hurt you!” Rachel continued to babble and suddenly Kurt’s voice rang out over hers.

“Shut up, Rachel! Believe it or not, my relationship with Blaine is nothing like yours with Finn.” Kurt was actually shouting at Rachel. Brody’s eyes widened and he stepped away from the door, letting Tina slip in. Blaine couldn’t move from his spot but he saw Kurt standing in the kitchen with his back to him. “And you are in no place to tell me what to do. We did not spend three years trying to convince ourselves and everyone around us that we were supposed to be together because we didn’t have to. I knew the second I saw him.” Tina sat silently on the couch, a small smile on her lips. Blaine remained frozen in the hall. “He turned around and looked at me and it was like meeting a part of me that I didn’t know was missing.”

“Kurt, I’m not trying to say that you don’t love him anymore but I just don’t want you to get hurt again,” Rachel said calmly.

Kurt’s voice softened as he sighed. “I know that you think you are looking out for me but just stop trying to protect me and listen. I’ve only ever told Blaine this, but in middle school, I found my mom’s college journal and read it.” That familiar lump was forming in Blaine’s throat as Kurt spoke. “She and my dad broke up for a bit and she wrote that you know you’ve found the person you’re supposed to be with when you live your entire day just to go to sleep beside them. To feel them beside you, to need them beside you. No matter if you’re hurt or angry. And you don’t have to forgive them and they don’t have to forgive you. You just... Need them beside you because of or in spite of what they’ve done. When they’re not there, you ache for them.”

Blaine slowly made his way inside the apartment as Kurt continued to speak. “And... That night, when he told me what did, do you know what I was thinking? That I still wanted him in that bed with me and how awful it was that one of the few times we got to lay beside each other was spent feeling hurt and betrayed.” He inched his way towards the kitchen where Kurt and Rachel stood. “I ache for him, Rachel. I yearn for him. So can you honestly tell me that you go to sleep aching for Finn the way I ache for Blaine? Because I don’t think you do. I don’t think you ever did.”

Rachel looked over Kurt’s shoulder, tears in her eyes. She swallowed back her tears and looked in Blaine’s eyes. “No. You’re right, I don’t. But I think there’s someone who knows exactly how you feel. Turn around,” Rachel said quietly.

“What?” Kurt asked, clearly frustrated with her.

“Turn around,” Blaine said, his voice breaking.

Kurt’s spine straightened as Blaine spoke. He slowly turned to face him. “Blaine.”

“Kurt.”

Blaine rushed forward, wrapping one arm around Kurt’s waist, the other to his shoulders and kissed him. It had been a year since they had kissed but the second their lips touched, it was like the whole thing had been some kind of horrible nightmare. Kurt fingers gripped Blaine’s scalp and, for a moment, Blaine thought he might push him away. Instead, Kurt held him tightly and sucked on his bottom lip. Around them they could hear Tina and Rachel squealing excitedly but honestly, Blaine couldn’t care less about their reunion being witnessed by their friends. They finally broke apart and stared at each other for a moment.

“Hi,” Kurt said, his thumb wiping a tear from Blaine’s cheek.

“Hi,” Blaine whispered. “I’ve missed you so much.”