It's two days later when Kurt just gets ready for the next show that his cell phone vibrates.

He picks it up from his vanity and sees he got a text from a number he doesn't recognize.

I would like to talk to you. When are you free? - Jake

Kurt stares at his cell phone. Someone's playing a prank on him, he's sure about that. Because he didn't gave Jake his number and where should he have gotten it from. But still, he's happy about it even if he feels a bit uncomfortable.

Jake? Who plays piano at the Adagio and with whom I had a drink a few nights ago?

Mere moments later his phone vibrates again.

I'm surprised by how many Jakes you seem to know who would like to talk to you.

Kurt smiles.

Sorry, I was just surprised that you wrote me a text. Where did you get my number?

Traded it for a piano lesson. Kate wants to learn for quite a while now. ;)

Ah, that explains a lot. What do you wanna talk about?

Kurt feels reminded about how it used to be, how he survived whole classes because he texted with Blaine. He thinks about his first text ever that he got from Blaine and that he hasn't deleted until today: Courage.

He barely notices that his cellphone vibrates again.

Not this way. Face to face.

Kurt glances at his watch.

My next day off isn't until in a few days. And actually I wanted to spend that with my boyfriend.

Now it takes a while until he receives an answer.

It can't really wait. Maybe we could meet during a lunch break?

Kurt thinks about it for a moment. Usually he spends his lunch break with Matt, Leah and Pip, but maybe he can sneak away...

Don't you have to be at college?

We have this week off, because of project week. So?

He just started writing a reply when there's a knock on his door.

"Come on in!"

He turns around in his seat and is surprised to see Matt entering.

"Hey honey." Kurt smiles at his boyfriend.

"Hey." Matt smiles back and kisses him. "I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow..."

Matt can't know about him meeting Blaine, right? Kurt feels a bit guilty anyway, because Matt doesn't know anything about their meeting two days ago, because when he came home, Matt was gone again, only a scrap of paper on their bed saying he was out dancing with Leah and Pip.

"What about tomorrow?"

Matt sighs. "I have to cancel lunch. I twisted my ankle at dance rehearsal this morning and Marc wants me to see a doctor about it. Unfortunately the next free appointment isn't until tomorrow morning so... And he wants me to sit out until tomorrow."

"Sounds awesome." Kurt can't keep a light sarcastic tone out of his voice.

"It does, right? It doesn't even hurt."

Kurt looks at Matt for a while.

"Okay, it doesn't hurt anymore – okay, okay, it doesn't hurt as much as this morning. And you know that I hate doctors. And if I'm lucky I won't be allowed back on stage for a few weeks which means that you're one man short. And that means you won't have any days off until I'm declared okay again."

Kurt takes his boyfriend's hand. "You know I won't care about that if it means that you're getting better. Even if that also means you're a bit bitchy, because you're always bitchy when you haven't anything to do." He winks at Matt. "But you know that I keep my fingers crossed that it's nothing bad. Not only because of my days off or because I like myself calm. You do know that, right?"

Mat kneels down in front of Kurt's chair, wincing slightly. "Of course I know that." And then he takes Kurt's face between his hands and kisses him.

When they break apart and Matt stands up, Kurt smiles. "Go home. Or more precisely, go back to the hotel. Take a nap, put your foot up. And please, ask the room-service for ice."

"Will do that." Matt turns around to leave. He already has his hand on the doorknob when he pauses for a moment. "Kurt?"

"Hm?" Kurt was in the process of turning back to the mirror.

"Break legs."

"Thanks."

The door slamming shut is like a sign for Kurt to grab his cell phone. Now he doesn't have to think of an excuse. Well, at least not for his boyfriend. And he's sure he will come up with one for Leah and Pip; if only the one that he needs some time alone. Being stuck in a hotel room, all those rehearsals and stuff.

Tomorrow, 12.30pm, Pershing Square?

He hasn't even put the phone back down onto the vanity when it vibrates again, flashing a new message.

OK

Nothing more, just those two letters. But to Kurt it feels like the start of a whole new life. Or maybe the start of an adventure that he can't quite grasp.

The next day he gets out of the metro station on Pershing Square and looks around.

Okay, maybe Pershing Square was a bad idea. So many people and so many exits he could have taken and just so much and why exactly did he chose that spot?

He crosses the street and walks up those few steps. And then he remembers why he wanted to meet here. Those small trees and the grass where you can sit down. The tables where you can read your newspaper and drink a cup of coffee in peace. And the fountain that's more a crossover between a fountain and a tiny, artificial lake that has a small wall surrounding it on which you can sit. Around Pershing Square are, of course, the skyscrapers that are constantly present in Downtown Los Angeles and which are the only thing that remind Kurt of New York.

As he crosses the lawn, he has an idea where he could find Blaine. That is, if Blaine-Jake is something like the Blaine he knew. He walks directly towards the south-western part of the place, where the fountain is located. And he was right. On the wall sits Blaine, legs stretched in front of him, head tilted backwards, and face bathing in the sun. Before Blaine followed Kurt to New York to study there as well, Kurt always joked that he probably should apply for universities in Southern California, sun worshiper he is.

Kurt sits down next to Blaine. "Hey."

Blaine opens his eyes and it is as if there was a switch inside of Kurt, because it's Blaine-Jake again, not Blaine.

"Hey!" Blaine-Jake smiles. "Any troubles on your way here?"

Kurt shrugs. "Not really. But I'm always amazed by LA's metro."

Blaine-Jake laughs. "Yeah, well, you get used to it. When do you have to get back?"

Kurt glances at his watch and thinks about how long it took him to get here and that it probably takes him just as long to get back. "In about thirty minutes."

Blaine-Jake nods. "You want to grab a bite? There's a bakery about a block from here, and the bagels there are pretty good."

"Sure, why not."

They get up and walk next to each other, silent for a while.

"Why -"

"Do y-"

They start speaking simultaneously and when they look at each other, they start laughing.

"You go first," Kurt says when he stopped. It feels a bit like it used to, walking down the street next to each other. But only a bit.

"Thanks. So … I couldn't stop thinking about what you said."

"What exactly? Or more precisely, what was it that made you think?"

"That I remind you of someone who vanished from your life without calling again."

"Well, I have to admit," Kurt concedes, "that it's not the whole truth. He called again, just once. And ..." He sighs. "I didn't tell you everything."

They are in front of the bakery and Kurt holds the door for Blaine-Jake.

There is a small line in front of the counter, most of the people waiting are wearing suits and ties or white blouses and skirts. Typical office clothing and once again Kurt is happy that he doesn't have to wear something as boring as that every day.

They continue talking when they leave the bakery – Kurt with a salmon and cream-cheese bagel and a grande low-fat mocha and Blaine-Jake with a turkey and salad bagel and a medium drip coffee.

Blaine-Jake leads Kurt somewhere, and he has no idea where they are going, he just knows that it isn't back to Pershing Square.

"What didn't you tell me," Blaine-Jake asks.

And Kurt knows, or rather guesses that it is important, so he decides to tell him everything. Everything apart from what he guesses.

"The young man who left, didn't just … leave." He takes a small sip of his mocha. "He," Kurt searches for the right words, "wanted to come back after two weeks, maybe three. He wasn't sure when he left."

Blaine-Jake doesn't say anything.

"I can clearly remember the day I drove him at the crack of dawn to LaGuardia, so he wouldn't miss his flight. And for a long time I asked if it was the right thing to do, letting him go on his own." He sighs and takes another sip.

"He left for Los Angeles, didn't he?"

The question he hoped for and dreaded at the same time. "Yes." His voice is barely a whisper.

"And … now you think that I'm this … your … ex-boyfriend." It's not a question. It's a statement. And Kurt doesn't know how to answer, because he thinks... Strike that. He knows it's Blaine. His Blaine. But somehow he isn't and it's all so complicated and so confusing that Kurt would love to run his hand through his hair if that wouldn't mean the end to his perfectly styled hair. But instead of commenting on what Blaine just said he goes on as if he hadn't heard him.

"He called as soon as he was in Los Angeles, you know. A short call ..." And suddenly Kurt's thoughts are back to the day, that one day, that left him thinking he had lost Blaine for ever.

It's afternoon and Kurt rehearses a song with Rachel that he wants to sing at his next casting when suddenly his cell phone rings.

'You think I'm pretty without any make-up on, you think I'm funny wh-'

"Hello?"

"Kurt? Oh my god, Kurt!" Blaine sounds excited. "I'm in Los Angeles!" Okay, excited and like a child. Kurt has to smile involuntarily.

"Congratulations, Captain Obvious, that you realized that."

"Shut it, Kurt!" But Blaine is laughing.

"How is it in sunny California?"

"Sunny. And … uhm … Oh, I don't know. Of course it's great, but it's not the same without you."

"I miss you too, Blaine."

"But I have to stop, because I want to go to a casting soon and I'd like to go check out the bathroom before that."

"You're calling after that and telling me how it was?"

"What a stupid question. Of course I will!"

Kurt smiles.

"I love you, Blaine."

"Love you, too! Bye!"

"Kurt?" Kurt jumps a bit.

Blaine-Jake stopped walking and Kurt didn't notice and just walked on.

He turns around and realizes there are only a few steps between them.

"Uhm... sorry, I kinda zoned out."

"You could say that." Blaine catches up. "If we cross the streets, we can sit down in front of the public library."

Kurt nods and only a few minutes later – they walked silently next to each other again – they are sitting on the lawn in front of the public library. Kurt is glad he chose jeans, because the grass stains aren't as obvious on them.

"You said something about a phone call."

Kurt gets the bagel out of the brown paper bag. "Well, after this one last call I never heard of him again. He just vanished, and I thought I hadn't been good enough as a friend until..."

"Until you saw me playing at the Adagio."

"Yes." Somehow it's easy to talk to him about it. At least it is now, but most likely it will get harder again anytime soon. That is, if they will meet again.

"And you're sure …?" The "that it's me" is unsaid, but definitely there.

Kurt sighs and pulls his cell phone out of his pocket.

He never managed to delete the last picture he took of Blaine and him, shortly before Blaine went through the security check at LaGuardia. Almost mechanically he touches the screen, searching for the picture in the folder and when it pops up on the screen, he offers Blaine-Jake his phone.

"May I?" Blaine-Jake reaches for the phone, without touching it.

Kurt nods, because right now he isn't sure if he could actually speak.

Blaine-Jake looks at the picture intently and Kurt forces himself to take a bite off of his bagel, although his throat feels dry. He has no idea how Blaine-Jake will react and even if he can convince him that they know each other, or knew maybe, what would it change? Kurt has a boyfriend, as well as Blaine-Jake. They both have their respective lives. Kurt's is usually centered around New York while Blaine-Jake lives in Los Angeles. There are several time zones between them, several mountains, lakes, and more states than Kurt is comfortable with and thousands of miles.

Just as he wants to take another bite of his bagel, Blaine-Jake gives him his cell phone back.

"It's so surreal..."

Kurt looks up.

"You know, I always thought that I'd never know who I am. Or was." He shakes his head. " Somehow it's even more confusing than before.

Kurt laughs shortly, harshly. "You don't need to tell me that. I always thought you left me and now you sit here, next to me. And I wanted to hate you, because you hurt me so much, but I should hate myself, because it's not your fault, never was and I never thought that something could have happened to you."

Blaine-Jake looks at him. "I ..." He takes a deep breath. "I don't know if I'm ready for … this." He waves with his hands. "You know? It's rather new for me. Suddenly I have the possibility to get to know things about my past, but it feels like it's someone else's life. And I'm curious nonetheless. If you ignore that I'm scared as shit."

Kurt looks at him over the edge of his paper cup. "Scared?"

Blaine-Jake puts his cup down next to him, and looks straight ahead before he turns to Kurt. "Kurt, what exactly do you want from me?"