CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13

KURT

I got home at around midnight after spending a lot of time sitting at the diner by myself, with a warm cup of coffee between my cold hands.

I had left the recording studio not long after Blaine had tried to calm me down, but I admitted to him that I just needed to take some time and figure out what was going on with Wes. He agreed, but I could tell that when we parted things were left in a somewhat unsure place. It wasn't because we weren't sure that we liked each other – that had been well established – but I think we were both surprised by Wes' reaction.

I was still reeling after everything that been uncovered but what I hadn't recovered from at all was Wes' reaction. Santana had been confused, but in the end was really happy for us. But the fact that Wes had practically stormed out and mad at me for not telling him sooner really surprised me. I had hoped that when he met Blaine that he'd be receptive to him, but I hadn't expected him to know Blaine but to also somehow seem to dislike that we were together.

What other reason would have provoked him to practically storm out of the recording studio? I thought he was friends with Blaine, but apparently not. I mean, why else would be so jilted by the fact that Blaine and I were together?

The whole scenario made me question if – once again – Wes wasn't keen on the guy I was dating. The thoughts I'd had about Blaine being well received by Wes, thoughts that Lauren had agreed with, were now out the window and my relationship with both Wes and potentially Blaine were up in the air.

I couldn't wrap my head around why he would react that way. He seemed to be okay with Blaine whenever I mentioned how he treated me and he was evenfriendswith Blaine. So what gives?

After paying for the coffee and bundling up, I had blearily made my way back to our apartment, hardly noticing the rain that had started as I walked. It wasn't a heavy rain, but a gloomy mist that seemed to just create the right dreary mood to match my internal conflict.

Once I got back to the apartment, I hung my mist-covered coat on the coat rack near the door and kicked off my boots, not caring where they landed. I flicked to turn on the light in the main room only to find my roommate sitting on the couch, his arms resting on his knees and his chin tucked tight to his chest. As the light illuminated the room, Wes looked up at me, somewhat expressionless but the anger his face wore before had been eradicated.

"I need to talk to you," he said as his eyes met mine. I couldn't hold his gaze for more than a few seconds; deathly afraid of where this was heading.

"You make it seem like we're breaking up," I joked trying to lighten the mood. I smiled tentatively at Wes who still wore his stony expression, so I dropped the act.

I sat in the armchair next to the couch that Wes was perched on, crossed my legs and placed my hands in my lap. I didn't want to rush him; he tended to be very intentional in what he said and I didn't want to crowd him. A few minutes passed, the silence nearly killing me, before Wes sighed. I took the noise to mean he was on his way to start talking to me.

"Tell me everything about how things happened with Blaine."

It wasn't a question; he needed to know. So I told him everything; how Blaine and I first saw each other at a restaurant in town, how we officially met at a show in Brooklyn – the show for the band that Blaine was working with in the recording studio, how we first talked through the online dating site, and how those conversation led to where he found us this evening. As I spoke, Wes stared at his hands as he wrung them in his lap. I tried to initiate eye contact at a few points in the story, but the gaze he had so easily held when I had arrived was gone.

Once I had told him everything up to tonight, I sat back and just waited. There had to have been a reason that he asked about Blaine and I, so I gave him the time to process.

It was agonizing.

After another five minutes, Wes spoke and it startled me. "First, let me say, I'm not really mad at you, Kurt." I breathed a bit easier knowing I hadn't done something that would potentially damage my relationship with my roommate, but I was still uncertain of what that could mean for his friendship with Blaine. "And I'm not mad at Blaine either."

With that thought, I was confused. If he wasn't mad at me and he wasn't mad at Blaine, why did he get so angry?

"I honestly don't know why I got so angry. I don't haveoneexact reason, really. I think more than anything I'm frustrated by how it happened with you and Blaine," he stated. I wanted to understand where he was going with this, but he had me lost.

"So, you're not mad at Blaine or I, but you're frustrated at... how we got together?" I questioned.

He sighed. "Yes? No?" He sat back and thought for a minute before continuing. "You're going to think this is weird, but I'm just mad I didn't reconnect with Blaine sooner or that you had moved here permanently sooner than you did."

"I don't see how that matters, Wes."

"Look, I know you kind of hate it when I go all overprotective with you, but Blaine was the first person I ever did that with since I don't have any siblings. Growing up, he was like a brother to me and before I met him, he had it really rough." As he paused, I let it marinate that Blaine hadn't told me anything about his previous experiences or too much about his life aside from what he was doing now. I didn't even know where he had gone to school – hence why we were in this predicament.

"I regret that Blaine and I lost touch because we were so close, but that's just how it happens sometimes. And you, well, you're the second person I've ever really looked after and it's just crazy that the two people I've cared for like brothers end up getting together – and not even by my doing."

I stared at him incredulously. "So, basically, you're mad because you wish we could have been set up sooner?"

"Yes," he agreed. "I could have helped you – helped you both," he admitted. "I've known you for a long time and the same for Blaine. I've known Blaine longer but I know you better, but I'm just... mad you guys couldn't have connected sooner. Then there wouldn't have been the situation with William and Blaine wouldn't have spent the last few years surrounding himself in his work."

I kept staring at him, but he still refused to look at me. "Wes, you couldn't be my –our– savior. That's not fair to you to hold that burden against yourself. Also, as someone once told me, everything happens for a reason. There was a reason I needed to experience dating William and the other guys I had in my life and the same must be true for Blaine. But for you to think that you could have made things better by introducing us sooner is kind of ridiculous."

At that notion, Wes finally looked up at me, causing me to smile. "I appreciate that you wanted to make both of us happy Wes, but don't think that you could have had things happen any sooner or in any other way. Both Blaine and I have admitted that the way we got together was kind of crazy, but it obviously happened when it did for a reason. I don't want to question why – I just want to enjoy it."

Wes met my smile with one of his own. "So you don't think I'm weird for wanting you guys to get together sooner?"

"Oh, it's definitely weird – you are far too involved in my love life. But I think we're both okay with how it netted out. But honestly, I think you could have eased up on getting so mad when we told you... or rather, when you found out." I blushed at the last note, still not believing that Wes and David caught Blaine and I practically in each other's laps with full-on making out.

He laughed. "I still can't believe you're dating the guy I went to high school with."

"I can't believe you actually know the guy I'm dating. This whole thing has been bizarre. Did I tell you about how he's best friends with Santana, this girl I went to high school with?"

"You went to high school with Santana?" Wes asked.

"Uh, yes. How do you know her?" This whole thing was just too eerie.

"I met her a few weeks ago when Blaine signed on David's brother's band at a bar after this gig they performed at. She's hot."

I chuckled. "She's also gay. Besides, you have Lauren now – no need to check out Santana."

He shrugged. "I'm not saying I was going to do anything, but one can appreciate aesthetics."

I chortled. "You are going to owe me big time not to tell Lauren what you just said."

He countered with a loud laugh of his own. "I'm pretty sure I'll be okay. Besides, I know all about your precious boyfriend's high school days and his ridiculous antics. Did I ever tell you about our duet when we had Beyonce karaoke night?" I shook my head and laughed at the thought of Blaine busting out Beyonce numbers. "I think that'll be a fair trade."

"Fine, fine," I conceded. "So, tell me about this Beyonce karaoke with Blaine. And don't leave out a single detail..."

BLAINE

A night that had started out with such a promising start crumbled before my very eyes. Kurt and I had an awkward goodbye when he left and I still had to put in a few more hours at the recording studio before I could call it a night.

Thankfully, Jeremy and the guys seemed oblivious to my ragged emotions as we powered through the night, adjourning around 11. By the time I rolled home around midnight last night, I was exhausted, but sleep wouldn't come. By this morning, I still hadn't heard from Kurt or Wes and it was killing me.

I knew that Kurt greatly valued Wes' opinion since they had been roommates for a while – since college from what I could remember. But if Wes was truly mad at Kurt – or me – what would that mean forus? We were so early in our relationship that I could see that he might break it off without having any qualms since we weren't heavily invested.

But god, that would suck.

"You doin' okay?" David said as he clasped his hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my Kurt-less nightmare my brain was thinking up. I sat up straighter in the seat at the booth as I turned to look David in the eye. He and I liked to be early for our recording sessions and apparently today was no exception. I hadn't realized that it was 9:30 since I was in a timeless reverie as I had barely remembered most of the morning.

"Uh – yeah. I guess," I lied.

"No you're not. And that's okay. Wes was being an idiot last night and it's bothering you."

I slouched forward in my seat and took my head into my hands. "What was with him last night?" I uttered.

David patted me on the back in comfort. "I'm not entirely sure, man. I tried to catch up with him after he jetted out of here, but he caught a cab and I tried to follow him for a while but never found him. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry that I didn't come back here last night, though my brother said you didn't really need me anyway."

"It's alright," I shrugged. "We really didn't need you though I wish you could've tracked Wes down and talked to him. He was certainly acting differently than I've ever seen him act before."

"Yeah," David agreed. "And I tried to call him too, but he must've turned his phone off." I nodded – I had come to the same conclusion last night when I tried to call him... and Kurt... with no success. I figured they just needed their space and I would give them that, even though it was eating me up internally. "I'm sure things are fine and Wes was just taken back by what happened. I mean we did find you guys inquitethe position."

I blushed at the mention of how my high school friends had discovered us. I hadn't dated in high school, so it felt like this occurrence was just a long time coming. Lord knows I caught Wes and David in some interesting predicaments over those four years at Dalton. "Yeah, well, it wasn't planned," I garbled.

He chuckled. "I could tell. The doe-eyed look you both wore kind of gave it away. But hey, at least you picked a hottie for us to catch you with - a hottieanda genuinely nice guy. Way to pick 'em, B," he joked.

"Yeah, well I'm not sure if he'll pick me in return after all of this," I moaned.

David looked at me with curiosity as he perched himself on the edge of the booth next to me. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "I don't know, I mean, what if Wes doesn't approve of me dating his roommate? I know Kurt and Wes are close – closer than Wes and I were in high school – and Kurt values his opinion endlessly. If Wes says no, I'm afraid Kurt will too."

"You know he won't do that, right?" David asked.

"Who won't do what?"

"Well, Wes won't tell Kurt not to date you and Kurt won't listen to Wes if he does, for some crazy reason, not approve of you guys," he stated.

"What makes you so sure?"

"The way Kurt would talk about you," he insisted. "I mean, he never said it was you, but you could tell he was smitten by the way he spoke about this mystery guy he was seeing. And besides, you know Wes loves you – you were like a brother to him and he acknowledges it."

I looked up at David and didn't see an ounce of doubt in his eye. I couldn't help but believe him – he hadn't made me doubt him yet. "I guess," I said lightly, still slightly unsure but only because I needed to know for sure from either one of them where we all stood. I believed in David, but I'm a seeing is believing kind of guy sometimes – especially since I had already put so much out there already, I just needed some reassurance.

At that moment my phone pinged and I practically pawed at my pocket to get my phone out. I practically beamed when I saw the name across the screen.

Kurt.

It was as if the gods had heard my plea. Or at least that's what I hoped. I mean, it would be really tacky to break up with someone over text, right?

I slid the message to open it and the smile I held got even brighter.

So boyfriend, what are your plans for dinner tomorrow night? My roommate would like to meet you. ;) –K

Everything would be okay, I was sure of it.