Dinner is hell. Dinner is hell and Kurt already regrets his agreement to accompany Rachel to the stupid movies. He knows he should've told her he wasn't going to go as soon as he heard that Jesse would be going. It's absolutely nauseating to sit across from them while they flirt and hold hands and feed each other and kiss and make stupid cutesy comments about things that happen between them that Kurt isn't around for and he hates knowing he voluntarily gave up his evening for this.

Not that he would've been doing much else, had he been home. He thinks about his afternoon. Toby had discovered that the bathroom sink gave out fresh and drinkable water, and so he's taken to following Kurt to the bathroom and snaking between his legs, rubbing against him (which can be very distracting when you're trying to do your business.) Once he gets Kurt's attention, he hops up on the sink and stares at him with big green eyes. Kurt knows it's terrible to encourage it, but the sight of the stupid cat drinking from the sink makes him smile... until he needs to wash his hands and Toby refuses to move out of the way.

He smiles to himself at the memory and catches himself. Rachel has been talking about Jesse's apartment for far too long and Kurt stopped listening long ago. She seems to realize she's lost him as he sighs and drains the last of his lemonade. “So,” she says loudly, forcing Kurt to look at her, “how about this movie? I heard it's Cooper Anderson's best work yet.”

“That's not a very high accomplishment,” Jesse laughs. Rachel looks at him incredulously. “What? Look, the guy isn't a great actor. He gets by with a decent singing voice and nice hair.”

“Funny, Jesse, because you have a pretty decent singing voice and not-quite-hideous hair and I don't see you in any movies,” Kurt deadpans. Rachel shoots him a look, but Kurt ignores it.

“Well, we'll have to be getting there soon,” Rachel says awkwardly. The air has gotten somehow even more uncomfortable than it already was. “We should get going.”

They get to the movies and Rachel declares that she's going to the store at the other end of the strip mall that holds the movie theater. She always goes to buy candy that is considerably cheaper than what they sell at the theater, and even though they've just eaten, she can't seem to watch a movie without something to snack on. She kisses Jesse's cheek as they reach the doors. “Go save me a seat,” she tells him.

“I'll go with you,” Kurt says quickly.

“Oh, I'll just be a minute. Go get a seat, Kurt. I know how picky you are about where we sit.” And then she's gone, and Kurt and Jesse are alone. They walk inside the building and Kurt looks at his ticket to figure out which auditorium they have to go to.

“Auditorium five. Let's just get this over with,” he mutters, starting to walk away. Jesse grabs his arm.

“Kurt, hey, wait,” he says. Kurt sighs as he's turned to face Jesse. “Look, I know it isn't your idea of a good day to spend time with me, but you have to appreciate what Rachel's trying to do, okay? We're both important to her. I know you think I have something against you and that I'm out to... to steal her from you, or whatever, but I'm not. And what do I know—maybe this has to do with the fact that she almost married your brother and now she's with me. I don't know.”

“It has nothing to do with that,” Kurt assures him quickly.

“And I know I wasn't the best to you in high school. I gave you crap during your audition and I was rude to you, and I apologize for that. I was a kid who thought that to be better than everyone else, I had to act like I was. And it made me a jerk. I made a lot of mistakes and I lost Rachel because of it, but I've seen the error of my ways. I'm not going to lose her again, Kurt. I'm going to be around for a long time and I'd really like it if you and I could get along. At least for Rachel's sake. She never shuts up about you, you know.”

“I'm sure,” Kurt mutters.

“She doesn't.” Jesse's face was earnest. “Rachel really cares about you, Kurt. You're her best friend and she misses you. I know we aren't... the easiest couple to be around sometimes. I know we can take things overboard, but I really love Rachel, and I'm trying to do right by her. You think I care about seeing some crappy Cooper Anderson movie? I could be home rehearsing right now, but I'm not, because I know how important this is to Rachel and I know how important you are to Rachel.”

Kurt takes a long moment to consider Jesse St. James. If he's being honest with himself, he knows that Jesse fits Rachel in a way that Finn or Puck or anyone else never did. They're nearly the same person, and sure, he couldn't stand Rachel at first, either. He sighs. He knows Jesse isn't that bad. He knows it. He's just bitter and selfish sometimes, and he knows that, too.

“Okay, Jesse,” he says. “I don't feel like being at odds with you, either.” Jesse's face breaks into a broad smile and he pulls Kurt into a hug. Kurt's surprised, but pats Jesse's back awkwardly. He clears his throat as Jesse pulls away. “Um... Should we—I mean, saving seats?”

“Yeah, right, of course,” Jesse says. He encourages Kurt to lead the way with a light touch to his lower-back. As they approach the ticket-taker, Kurt freezes.

“Blaine?”

Blaine feels like an absolute idiot. He'd been heading to the lobby after cleaning up after some kids' movie when he saw them. He was going to say hi to Kurt, but then he remembered he was wearing a movie theater uniform and carrying a dust pan. That, and Kurt was with someone.

And Blaine just watched them.

Blaine watched as Kurt tried to walk away from the other man and how he stopped Kurt, looking at him with pleading eyes and talking to him in a hushed voice. He watched Kurt's gaze soften as the man spoke, and a few words being exchanged from Kurt's perspective. He watched as the other man's face lit up and he pulled Kurt into a hug and he watched the man put his hand low on Kurt's back as he led Kurt-

Rights towards Blaine.

He realizes now how stupid it was to just stand in the middle of the lobby, staring blankly at two customers, and how stupid he must look to Kurt and Kurt's... boyfriend? The thought makes Blaine's stomach turn. The man raises his eyebrows, looking between Kurt and Blaine.

“Kurt, hi,” Blaine chokes out.

“You work at a movie theater?” Kurt asks.

“I—yeah, I'm only at the shelter on weekends.” Kurt nods. He knows this, but he doesn't tell Blaine that. Jesse touches Kurt's arm.

“I'm going to go save us some seats,” he says. Kurt nods and the man leaves. Blaine shifts awkwardly.

“Um, how's Toby?” he mentally kicks himself. Sure, Blaine, ask about the cat. Don't ask about him.

Kurt's face lights up, making Blaine's heart warm. “Oh, he's great. Well, he's stubborn and he's grumpy a lot of the time but he's really great company. He's not happy unless he's making things difficult for me, but I've grown to appreciate the effort he puts in.” Blaine laughs.

“He's an interesting cat, for sure,” Blaine says. He leans the dust pan against a trash can so he doesn't have to keep holding it like an idiot. “And uh, how are you?”

“I'm good,” Kurt admits. “It's nice to have some company, you know? Loneliness isn't something I handle very well.” Blaine thinks of the man Kurt was just with and nods, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Kurt! Where did Jesse go?” a short girl demands, approaching Kurt and toting a purse that looks way too over-stuffed.

“To save us seats,” Kurt says.

“Did you two talk...?” she asks carefully. Kurt nods. “Good. I don't like you two fighting. I'm glad you made up.” Then she notices Blaine. “Oh, hello,” she says.

“Rachel, this is Blaine,” Kurt says.

“The guy from the shelter?” Kurt's face heats up. Blaine's surprised that Kurt mentioned him.

“Yes. Yeah, the guy who named Toby.” Kurt clears his throat. “Blaine, this is Rachel, my best friend slash ex-roommate whom Toby replaced.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Rachel says cheerily. “Formally, anyway. Kurt told me you were the lead in the Dalton Warblers. I remember both of your sets from our competitions. It's a shame you weren't in New Directions. You and I would have sounded great together in duets.” Kurt clears his throat. “Right. Sorry. Kurt, you'd better hurry up or you're going to miss precious moments of Cooper Anderson's face—and god knows I can't talk to Jesse about how gorgeous he is.”

Blaine groans internally. Just great. He's one of Cooper's fans.

“It was nice meeting you, Blaine!” Rachel chirps before disappearing. Kurt shakes his head.

“I don't know what to do with her, sometimes,” he says with a fond smile. “Anyway, I'd better get going. It was great seeing you again, Blaine.”

“You too, Kurt. Um, enjoy your movie,” Blaine says lamely. Kurt nods.

“See you around.” With a small wave, he vanishes. Blaine lets out a long breath and slumps against the wall.