"So would the price tag!" Blaine laughed.

Alyssa and Kurt stared at him in an odd way. "Price is simply something I look at and never consider when it comes to fashion."

"Oh." It was all Blaine could think to say. He looked at the bags on his arms. He had saved up enough money for a spree like this, but it seemed Kurt didn't even worry about how much something cost. True, Kurt never seemed to worry about it when they were in school together, but this was different somehow.

"Anyway Alyssa, I think it's time to get lunch, don't you?" Kurt was saying.

"Yes yes let's go to the Carnegie Deli you know I love their veggie platter!"

"Is that ok with you Blaine?" Kurt asked, turning to look at the other man.

"Um, yeah that's fine," Blaine answered. Alyssa took each of the boys by the arm, almost knocking them all into a mannequin.
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The three entered the deli and began to order. John, the deli manager smiled as he recognized Alyssa and Kurt. "I see someone's been out shopping," he grinned at the amount of bags each person held.

"Yes and now we're staaaaaarrrrrrrving!" Kurt whined. "I want the usual please."

"So, a turkey burger with lettuce, tomato, and a little mayo."

Alyssa put her order in next, "could I please get a steamed veggie platter John?"

"Anything for the little lady," he smiled back. "And for you sir? Are you a friend of these two?"

Blaine smiled, "yeah, me and Kurt went to high school together and all three of us are in the same production. Oh, I'll take a hamburger, lettuce, tomato and mustard please."

"Coming right up." John walked over to the fryer. "So you're an actor like Kurt?"

"Um, yeah. Of course I'm not as good as him, but I'm pretty good at it."

"To hear him go on about it, you'd think he was the only actor in the world. I swear that boy is more of a drama queen than my teenage daughter."

"Yeah, that's Kurt for you. Apparently he hasn't changed since high school. He had to be the center of attention then too." Blaine paused, remembering their days at Dalton. He and Kurt were inseparable senior year. He often reminisced about the good days. That was why he was here right? To try and get back what he had lost?

"Blaine?" A soft hand rested on his shoulder. "Are you ok? Alyssa and I have been calling your name for a while now." Blaine realized that he was standing in front of the register with a bunch of angry New Yorkers trying to pay. He smiled apologetically at them and turned to the table Alyssa was seated at.

"Yeah," he answered Kurt. "I was just lost in my head for a second."

A sad smile played across Kurt's lips. "Yeah, I know how that is."
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Blaine sank onto Kurt's white couch. "Who knew that shopping could be so exhausting?"

"Oh Blaine, this is nothing compared to what Kurt normally does. Of course he nearly has to drag me out of the Louis Vuitton store every time." Alyssa blushed and nodded towards the bedroom where Kurt was putting his things in the closet. "I think he uses it as therapy, he's too sad I always tell him."

"Therapy? I call that torture! I thought we were never going to leave Versace!" Blaine replied exasperatedly. "I couldn't imagine having to do this more than once a year!"

"Oh Blaine, this is at least a monthly thing!" She lowered her voice, "so how do you think it went?"

"Well he didn't spend all day yelling at me and he didn't slam the door in my face, so it went a lot better than what I expected."

"I told you it would work!"

"Told him what would work?" Kurt was leaning in the doorway, having just caught the end of their conversation.

"Oh, that taking you out shopping would wipe that sullen look off your face!" Alyssa smiled brightly at him.

Kurt grinned and sat on a chair. "You know me well Alyssa, retail therapy always helps!"

"Well boys," Alyssa said with a devilish grin, "it's getting awful close to dinner time so I better get going."

"You can stay here, we can order out." Kurt replied looking at her pointedly. "Chinese, pizza, Italian, you name it."

Alyssa faked a yawn, "I'm quite tired though. I'm sure we have a long day tomorrow and I need to be in top form."

"Well," Kurt said, biting his lip, "I guess I could understand that. Have a good night Alyssa!"

"Good night Kurt, Blaine."

"Night Alyssa." Blaine rose from the couch. "Well, uh, Kurt, I guess I should leave now too." He watched Kurt closely. Kurt stood there slightly fidgeting, unsure of what to do or say.

"Well, I mean, uh, if you'd like to stay for dinner that would be ok." Kurt wanted to slap himself. Why was he inviting Blaine of all people to eat dinner with him? He looked silently at Blaine, wondering whether he wanted Blaine to stay or leave. It worried him how much he wanted Blaine to stay.

"Well, I mean if you don't mind, uh sure I'll stay for dinner." Blaine was staring at the floor, a blush slowly creeping over his cheeks. He stood there rubbing a circle into the carpet hoping Kurt wouldn't kick him out.

Kurt softly sighed then asked, "is Chinese ok? I just had pizza the other day."

Blaine glanced up at Kurt, "yeah that's fine. Lo Mein and sweet and sour chicken please?"

Kurt walked into the kitchen to place the order and Blaine sank onto the couch. It had been five years since they had last seen each other. Somehow he had found Kurt again. This time he didn't plan on losing him. That is, if he could get him back in the first place. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he had to try. He couldn't just let the best thing that ever happened to him walk away forever. He closed his eyes and thought about how well the day had gone. Kurt hadn't yelled at him once, but Blaine couldn't be sure whether that was because Alyssa had been there at not. Kurt had actually put his hand on him, made sure it was ok. Blaine willed the tears no to come, willed the memories and the emotions that came with it to just leave, but even he wasn't that strong.

Blaine walked up to Kurt and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kurt, hey, please can we talk?" "About what Blaine? Are you really going to do this tonight? At graduation?" "Kurt, please just hear me out. I'm-I'm sorry ok? I never meant to hurt you; I did what I did so I wouldn't hurt you." Kurt looked as if he were about to choke Blaine. "You didn't want to HURT ME? What do you think you did? You broke my heart ok? Is that what you want to hear?" "Kurt, shhh please, you're making a scene." "Oh I'm making a scene am I? Oh yes, I FORGOT, I'm a drama queen!" Kurt spat the words at Blaine and it was all he could do not to break down. "Kurt, I'm sorry ok? I really do love you; I wanted what was best for you." "No Blaine, you wanted what was best for you and you alone. It was never US it was always you." "Kurt that isn't true. I did everything for you." "Blaine please, just leave me alone. Just let me have tonight without having to deal with this." Kurt tilted his head up to show that he meant the words; before he could move Blaine kissed him a final time. He pulled away and softly said, "Just remember I love you, ok? I always will. There's a part of me that will never fully let you go."

Kurt walked back in the living room but stopped at the door. He stood with his mouth slightly ajar at the scene before him. Blaine Anderson was sitting on his couch, in his apartment, in New York, with his eyes closed, head down, and oh, was that a tear sliding down his cheek? Kurt licked his lips, holding on to the door jamb for support. He was NOT going to go wrap Blaine in his arms and comfort him. This was the same Blaine that hurt him five years ago and it wasn't about to happen again. He straightened up and softly called out Blaine's name. Blaine quickly looked up, embarrassed. Clearing his throat he said, "um, hey, so when's dinner going to be here? Ugh, stupid allergies." He wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his cardigan.

"Oh, about five minutes." Kurt answered sitting on the opposite side of the couch from Blaine. "So, uh, I was wondering, uh, what exactly brought you to New York?" As soon as the question was out of his mouth, Kurt wished he had never asked it. He watched in shock as Blaine blanched.

"Uh, well, you see, um…" his face was turning crimson. How could he answer this question? He couldn't very well just say that the guy he loved lived here and he came to find him and set things straight. "Well, you know, I like, uh singing, and acting, and well I thought maybe I could come make a name for myself out here, you know?"

"Sure. I mean that's why I'm here." Kurt looked at Blaine suspiciously. "Though I thought you said you were too familiar with Lima to leave it?"

Blaine was saved by the doorbell. "Uh, where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall first door to the left," Kurt answered while opening the door.

Blaine slipped into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. Were they really going to have this conversation now? He sighed and dried his hands off on the towel. It had been five years, he had hoped that Kurt had put at least some of what had happened behind him, apparently he was wrong. He inhaled deeply and let it back out. He slowly opened the door and walked back into the living room. Kurt was seated cross-legged on the floor with takeout boxes scattered on the glass coffee table. Blaine sat on the other side and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. They ate in silence for a while until Kurt paused and pointed a chopstick at Blaine. "You know," he said, "you never answered my question. The one about leaving Lima."

Blaine put his chopsticks to the side and slid the food away from him. "Well I finally got tired of being cooped up in a small town. I felt that I could make something out of myself if I tried. Plus, working at the Lima Bean does not do wonders for helping me sing." Blaine laughed before continuing. "I thought that maybe I should come out here and try out for a few things on Broadway, Hollywood just wasn't where I wanted to go. Plus, I knew you were out here. I thought maybe I'd get lucky and run into you at a show or something. I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to actually be in the same production as you." There he had said it, well most of it. Now he just had to wait for Kurt's response.

"So it took you five years to figure out what I already knew before I graduated? Priceless. You break my heart, disappear for five years, and then figure you can just waltz back to me as if nothing happened. You know Blaine, I never took you for being stupid, but now, I just don't know." Kurt's voice was a mixture between venomous and hurt; Blaine wasn't sure which was worse.

"Kurt, I told you I came here for not only myself, but to find you again. I know I screwed up but I just thought-"

"Thought that I'd have forgotten all about being the person who was screwed over by the one person they thought they could trust? Fat chance Blaine. That was the worst thing that ever happened to me, and if you think that being an understudy in the same musical as me is going to change my opinion of you, well that's never going to fucking happen ok? You had your chance and you left me heartbroken and alone. I left for New York the day after we graduated. I left Lima and never looked back. You know I can barely even call my parents because they have a Lima area code? That's what you did to me ok Blaine? Is that what you came here to hear?"

"Dammit Kurt are you listening to me at all?" Blaine's voice started rising and he gripped the edge of the table tightly. "I came here to try and make things right! Do I have to spell it out for you? I came to New York to find you ok? I wanted to fix things between us. I thought that maybe you would have grown up some by now!"

"Oh so I was too immature back then?" Kurt's volume matched Blaine's now and he was pretty sure the neighbors could hear but he could care less. He was finally getting the chance to tell Blaine exactly how he felt at the moment. "I'm sorry we all couldn't be Blaine fucking Anderson; head honcho of Dalton! I'm sorry that I couldn't be perfect like you. Dammit Blaine, just leave and stay out of my life for good!"

"I'm sorry Kurt, but I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to stand here and take this bullshit from you! I came here to apologize and you can't even accept that."

"Why can't you accept that I just want you to leave me alone?" Kurt suddenly stood up, knocking Chinese food to the floor. "Look, I'll even open the door for you!" He flung open the apartment door letting it bang loudly. "You know, Mercedes wanted me to try and be friends with you; that's why invited you shopping and asked you to stay for dinner. Apparently you can't accept my gesture. So please leave. Now."

Blaine stood up, slightly trembling. How had a day that started off so well ended so badly? He gathered his bags and stopped right in front of Kurt. "You know, I appreciate what you did for me today. I just wish you could see I really do still care. See you tomorrow." With that he left the apartment. Kurt closed the door silently and slowly slid down to the floor. He looked at the spilled food all over the floor. Red sauce was seeping into his grey carpet. At the moment he didn't care. Blaine was in New York City. Blaine had come to find him. Worse of all, Blaine still cared about him, came to make things right. Kurt just wasn't ready for this. He was confused and hurt. He lowered his head into his hands and let the tears flow freely. He didn't know what he felt for Blaine right now. Anger, resentment, hurt, yes all of those were there, but if he really felt he knew he missed Blaine. Deep down inside some part of Kurt still loved him. I may love him, Kurt thought to himself, but I can't, won't, trust him. He has to somehow prove that he's changed, that he's different from the eighteen year old boy I left back in Lima. He slowly gathered himself up and cleaned the mess he had made off the floor. He made a mental note to call a carpet cleaning company in the morning. He made his way to the bedroom and slowly changed into pajamas. He lied down on the bed slowly letting his eyes close, not caring that he hadn't moisturized, slowly falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
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While Kurt was dead asleep, Blaine lay tossing and turning in his bed. Try as he might he couldn't stop replaying the horrible evening in his mind. Where had he gone wrong? Where had the fighting begun? That was one of the things he hated about his and Kurt's relationship, they constantly fought. It was one of the reasons he had broken up with Kurt in the first place. Moving to New York with Kurt would just put even more of a strain on their relationship. Blaine sighed, rolling onto his side; he cringed at the thought of seeing Kurt tomorrow. He thought about quitting Phantom for a minute only to come to the conclusion that he'd probably lose any chance of being with Kurt if he did so. So leaving the production was a no, he was just going to have to suffer through it. Finally he felt his eyes closing, the sleep that washed over him was the most welcome thing he could remember in a long time, as was the memory that came back in his dream.

"You know I hate Valentine's Day Blaine," Kurt whined, "it's so superficial." "Not when I'm around! Ok you can open your eyes now!" Blaine moved away from Kurt as he slowly lowered his hands from his eyes. "Is that a chocolate fountain? Strawberries? Blaine, I love it!" Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine and kissed him hungrily on the mouth. "See," Blaine said, pulling away slightly. "I told you I could make you like this holiday." Blaine picked up one of the strawberries in the bowl that was perched on his nightstand and dipped it into the chocolate. "Here, open up," he placed the strawberry in Kurt's mouth. Kurt bit off the end of the strawberry and began chewing. He closed his eyes and let out a small moan. "So good…how did you know?" Blaine smiled at him, "darling, I just pay attention to you." Blaine kissed Kurt, sitting on the bed and pulling Kurt with him. He planted a kiss on Kurt's nose and sang softly. "You make me feel like a teenage dream…"