Woah, wait. Blaine.

Kurt sat up abruptly, yet carefully as to not wake him. Sure enough, there was Blaine, fast asleep. He was so peaceful... His curly hair was all muddled up, sticking out in every which way, something Kurt was definitely not used to seeing, especially considering how much gel Blaine used to wear. As much as Kurt was a fan of the dapper gelled hair look that Blaine sported so well, there was something about this unkempt version of Blaine that made Kurt's heart skip a beat. Blaine's face was plagued with sleep, his eyelids gently closed and his cheeks relaxed, his lips parted slightly, breathing in and out ever so gently. He looked so peaceful... Kurt wouldn't dare wake him.

Kurt didn't remember much about the previous night. He remembered going to the bar and then seeing Blaine. He remembered drinking and dancing and... maybe kissing. Yes, Kurt definitely remembered some kissing.

"Mmn, Kurt. Don't leave, please." Kurt leapt at Blaine's words, not expecting him to be awake.

"What?" Blaine moved closer, draping his arms around Kurt in an attempt to pull him in. Kurt stayed stiff, resisting the temptation that was burning inside of him.

"Stay."

"No, I... I can't. I have to go." Kurt pulled away with a sigh. But Blaine was suddenly awake, alert.

"Kurt, no. It's alright, I won't-"

"Sorry, Blaine. I..." Kurt pulled away from Blaine for good. He stood up, gathering up whatever looked like it belonged to him off of the floor and approached the door. He turned back to look at Blaine. Still groggy from some alcohol induced sleep, he was staring at Kurt, his mouth agape and his expression bewildered. "I'll talk to you later. For work, and stuff."

"Kurt..." Blaine trailed, obviously struggling with words. Kurt gave him one last look, conveying all of the emotions from the previous night with a feeling of regret intertwined.

"Bye." Kurt said quietly as he snuck out of Blaine's room and out of the building where he proceeded to call a cab.

What a mess this was.

As the cab rolled on, bringing Kurt home where he would be safe from all of this, Kurt couldn't help but think of all that has happened as of late. Starting way back with his final goodbye to Blaine, and onto the year without him. When Kurt learned some very valuable lessons. Of course, he had plenty of teachers.

First, it was Randy.

Randy was nice enough. He was in Kurt's History of French Design class, sat at the desk behind Kurt's. When the word had spread that Kurt was now officially unattached, he was the first to jump to the plate. He asked Kurt out for coffee and the rest was history.

Kurt was really happy, at first. A few coffee dates, friendly discussions... Kurt felt that he could do it again. The whole relationship thing. He broke up with Blaine for a good, valid reason. To give all of these guys a chance, and here he was doing just that. And it was going great. Randy was sweet, polite, patient... All good qualities in a boyfriend that Kurt was grateful for.

Things with Randy fell apart when Kurt went to Randy's home in Louisiana for Thanksgiving. Apparently his parents didn't know he was gay and they basically blew a gasket when they saw Kurt. They demanded that Kurt and Randy go back to New York, break up, and essentially stop all contact.

Kurt was heartbroken when Randy actually decided to go through with it, but not for long, especially when he caught Randy making out with a girl from their History of French Design class at their coffee shop one weekend.

Then it was Theo.

Theo was Kurt's partner in their English class work. They had to work together with a classmate on this giant essay comparing a bunch of Shakespearean literature. And one day when they were over at Kurt's working on it... They kissed. Just like that. With not so much as a preamble to warn him. But Kurt liked it.

With Theo, it was more than just kissing. With Randy it had been a very reserved relationship. Randy understood that Kurt was still a little bit unstable from the break-off with Blaine, so as far as they ever got was some heavy make out sessions. But with Theo, there were no such limitations. Theo ended up being Kurt's second. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

Things with Theo ended abruptly. Kurt barely had time to feel bad about it after he caught Theo with another guy.

Shawn was his rebound. It was more of a failed attempt to make Theo jealous, but it was nice. Shawn was nice. But there was no spark. No raging passion like what he had once had with... With Blaine.

And then finally, there was Jude.

Jude was a summer spark gone awry. Their relationship, while passionate and heated and wonderful at points, was also replete with this tension. Jude had a temper. Kurt had clever quips and comebacks. While each trait can be manageable on their own, they didn't mix well together. What started off as a petty disagreement would end up as full blown arguments, complete with the yelling, the screaming, the throwing objects...

As nice as it was at points, as great as Jude made him feel, the relationship's demise was inevitable.

By the time Kurt and Jude broke up, Kurt was convinced that relationships were a complete waste of time. After all, there are a lot more important things to worry about. Like school, and work.

There wasn't time to dwell on the past. On just that feeling of warm lips comforting his, strong arms holding him in place, or the shared laughter and smiles. It was a distraction, because in reality, nothing ever worked out. There was no such thing as fairy tale endings. No such thing as happily ever after. It just didn't work like that.

Or at least... not with any of them.

Maybe Blaine... Maybe it was different with Blaine.

Kurt had broken up with Blaine so he could try other people. So he could go through his college years the way the other kids did. With boys and parties and fun nights. Stuff that he didn't get to try with Blaine still in Lima.

But now that he has had a taste of that life...

Kurt recalled the previous night. Drunken confessions and sweet, salty kisses. Blaine still loved him.

Blaine still loved him.

Damn it, Kurt! Why are you so stupid!

Kurt's mind started reeling with these crazy ideas of... possibilities. Could he get back together with Blaine again? Could things go back to how they were once upon a high school day?

Kurt suddenly had a very frighteningly vivid image in his head.

He was walking down a long hallway, a spring in his step. With a light, contented smile, he opened a door and stepped in what looked like his apartment. Except it looked smaller, more cluttered with stuff. He walked through the living room into the kitchen, where he was surprised to see a figure standing in front of the stove, hovering over a steaming pot, stirring gently. Kurt could recognize that mass of hair anywhere.

This subconscious version of Kurt approached the man, snaking his arms around his waist and pulling him close.

"Miss me?" he whispered slyly.

"Always," Blaine whispered back, turning his head and pulling Kurt into what looked to be a breathtaking kiss.

So this is what Kurt had been missing out on.

Wait a second.

Kurt stopped himself short with one rattling thought. Did he still love Blaine?

The question resonated inside of his head. Did he? After all of these months and months of working to replace him... did the original feelings still stand their ground? To be perfectly honest, Kurt didn't know.

So, right then and there, Kurt made a decision. He was going to take down all of his guards. He was going to give Blaine a fresh start. All ties to the past were diminished. If he and Blaine really were going to do this... relationship thing again, Kurt wanted to be sure of something.

Kurt was ready to fall in love with Blaine. Again.