And now he had just today gotten a call from his old music instructor – the guy had transferred from the college Blaine currently attended to teach music at another college around the area – practically begging him to sub for their pianist for the school's holiday concert. When Blaine had asked why they had not just gotten another pianist from their own school, the teacher explained that the concert was the very next night. They only needed him for two performances during the concert and the teacher knew Blaine would be capable of learning the music quickly on such short notice because he was quite talented. Blaine was flattered, but he already had so much to do – doing something like this would probably cause him more stress than he needed. In the end Blaine agreed though, because he had trouble saying no to people who really needed help. Plus he did not want to let his old instructor down.

Now he was not so sure agreeing to do the show had been the best idea, because he was trying to study and all he could think about was the fact that he had to perform at this concert now on such short notice. Granted he had been keeping up with his piano skills, so he was not too concerned about not being able to play the two pieces, but he did generally prefer having more than just a few hours or so to practice something before performing it.

Sam was surprised Blaine had agreed to it. He decided to be supportive though and told Blaine that he would try and attend the concert so at least there would be one familiar face in the audience. Blaine appreciated that. Ever since that terrible drunken night the past school year, it had seemed like Sam was not telling him something and that something had formed a little block between them. Blaine had tried asking Sam about it again at one point, but Sam had insisted it had been nothing of importance. Things had felt a little bit strained between them for a long while, but over the past two months or so Blaine had noticed that things were almost back to normal between them. It was definitely nicer when they could both feel comfortable being around each other.

The next morning, Blaine was getting ready to head on over to the other school when he heard a knock on the door. When he opened it he saw the girl who lived in the apartment next to theirs standing in front of him. She apologized for bothering him so early but she was going out for the day and wanted to catch him before she left. Apparently one of his pieces of mail had gotten placed in her mailbox by mistake. Blaine thanked her for bringing it over and then shut the door after she left. He went back into the kitchen and opened the envelope. When he realized who it was from and what it said his eyes grew big and he actually did a little happy dance right there in the kitchen. Thank goodness Sam had already left for the day so he would not walk in on him acting like a fool. Thinking about Sam at that moment saddened him a bit. He would have to tell Sam about this at some point. Tomorrow would be a good time. Today would be just too hectic. He set the opened letter on the table, on top of the rest of his mail, and then went off to finish getting ready to go, a huge smile on his face.

Blaine left around noon for the other school. When he got there he realized he had no idea which building was the right one, so he asked a passing girl for help. It turned out she was heading for the same building he was.

"I actually don't go here." The girl laughed. She was around Blaine's height, having long dark brown hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a plaid skirt and a rather hideous maroon sweater that had a white deer on the front. "But I've been here before and I'm heading to the Performing Arts center also, so I'll lead the way. I'm Rachel Berry." The girl introduced herself. "My friend is performing in the concert tonight so I promised him I'd come watch. I wanted to watch them practice too."

Why did that name sound familiar to Blaine? He was pretty sure he had heard the girl's name before. "I'm just subbing for their pianist for two of the performances." He explained. "I'm Blaine Anderson. You know...your name sounds awfully familiar."

"Oh! Not the Blaine Anderson?" Rachel looked over at him. "I recognize you! You were from Dalton, one of the Warblers. Our glee club competed against yours a couple of times. You guys were quite good."

Blaine was a little bit surprised that Rachel recognized him, but he was a bit flattered she had liked his group's performances. "Thanks. Which school did your group perform for?" He asked curiously.

"McKinley High." Rachel replied. Blaine almost tripped going up a step. That was the high school Kurt had gone to. Which meant this girl knew Kurt and might be able to help him talk to Kurt again.

"I remember you now." Blaine informed her, hoping his voice did not sound too odd. "You sang a lot of lead vocals. You're quite talented."

"Why thank you." Rachel practically glowed from the compliment. "I've been performing for as long as I can remember, literally, and have been going to school for performing arts- hey, wait a second." She paused and Blaine stopped next to her. "You're Kurt's old friend. I remember now! Sectionals, my junior year... Kurt was awfully upset after you two talked in front of us all. He wouldn't tell us anything about you."

"I felt terrible for upsetting him." Blaine replied quietly. His heart was thudding in his chest. He had to ask her where he could find Kurt. They could finally talk, even though Blaine was kind of scared to. Every time he had tried to talk to Kurt before things had not gone well and Kurt had pushed him away. As much as Blaine wanted to be friends with him again...he did not like the idea of getting pushed away once more. And it did not surprise him that Kurt had not wanted to tell any of his friends about him; Kurt had been so intent on keeping Blaine away, he would not have wanted to talk about him either. "How...how is he doing?"

Rachel had started walking again, Blaine following along beside her. She was quiet for a few seconds before replying. "He's been good. Went to France for his junior year and I'm pretty sure he's dying to go back." She laughed lightly. "You know...if you really want to know how he's doing, why don't you ask him yourself? Here, this is the right building." She led the way into a huge, old brick building.

Blaine followed along, looking about as they walked through the building. It was quite impressive. He was slightly confused though about what Rachel had said. "I'd love to ask him if he'd actually talk to me for once. Plus I don't really have any way of contacting him." Well, technically now he did since he could just ask Rachel, if she wanted to help him anyway.

Rachel opened a door and they went down another hallway. There were signs leading to some music rooms so they were following those, plus Blaine at least had a room number to go on that his old instructor had given him. "He'll be performing in this concert tonight, Blaine. He's the friend I mentioned I was coming to see."

Blaine almost stopped walking. Kurt was here. Kurt was in the same building as him, right this very moment. It was almost too good to be true. He could hardly begin to explain the emotions running through him at the thought of seeing Kurt again.

They finally found the right room. Blaine could hear voices from inside and he knew one of those voices belonged to Kurt. Nerves seemed to make him freeze for a moment, but after taking a deep, steadying breath, Blaine finally managed to open the door.

Kurt was not normally one to be late to things. In fact, he hated being late to things. Punctuality was key to success, and Kurt Hummel loved success. Unfortunately, Kurt also loved waking up all warm and comfy next to his boyfriend, meaning he liked to prevent having to move from that spot for generally as long as he could. And he knew he had to get up and get ready for the rehearsal for that night's holiday concert, but when Mitch finally woke up too and seemed more inclined to do things to keep Kurt there next to him...well, Kurt could hardly say no to that.

So now he was late to rehearsal and had had to run out of the apartment, skipping some of his morning routines which had not put him in a good mood. There was no way he was skipping coffee though. He stopped at his favorite spot to grab his usual morning coffee and while he waited for it he took the time to run his solo performance through his head a few times. The song was in French and no where near easy, but Kurt had insisted upon using it as his performance piece because it was beautiful and something he could put a lot of emotion into. He just hoped that whoever they got as a sub pianist would be a lot better than the first guy.

After getting his coffee, Kurt quickly continued on his way to the performance hall. Every one was gone from the music room so Kurt figured they were on stage by then. Taking a quick second to finish his coffee, Kurt grabbed his sheet music just in case he may need it and ran off to the huge auditorium. The group he was performing with was halfway through a number when he entered the room.

"You're late, Hummel." The teacher called out, shaking his head as he indicated for Kurt to join the group and help finish off the song. As Kurt walked by the teacher he apologized, his face slightly pink, before going to stand up on the risers.

After the song was finished, the teacher moved on to solo performances. As each soloist performed, the rest of the group sat out in the auditorium seats to watch. Only two of the soloists needed the piano: Kurt and a senior girl named Gabby. Gabby performed first so Kurt would get to hear the pianist play before he had to sing with him or her. This was helpful because he could get a sense of the player's style. Sadly he could not get a good look at whoever was playing because the piano had been moved down to the orchestra pit until that night. Kurt hoped they had gotten Nicky to sub, because he knew she was pretty good.

"Alright, Gabby's turn." The teacher called out to the group. Gabby got up and went over to head up the stage steps. Kurt's cell phone buzzed in his pocket and he saw he had a text from Rachel.

Look back!

Look back? Kurt turned in his seat and saw Rachel was sitting far back, waving to him. He waved back, smiling brightly at his friend. They always went to each other's big performances and a lot of each other's practices, just to be supportive.

"Mr. Anderson is subbing for Mr. Gilmore at tonight's performance." The teacher was informing them. Kurt wondered who this Anderson fellow was. "He goes to a different college, but I've worked with him before so you guys will be okay."

As Gabby's solo started and the music began to play Kurt was sure everything would be just fine. Whoever this Anderson was he was good. It was like they could feel the music as it was being played. Kurt hoped his own solo got the same sort of performance from the pianist.

After Gabby's solo was run a few times, Kurt got to take his turn on the stage. Once on stage he tried to peek over the edge to get a look at the pianist. Unfortunately he could not see the guy from the angle he was at. Ah well.

"Alright, Kurt, whenever you're ready." The instructor smiled, nodding in his direction.

Kurt nodded in reply before looking down towards the orchestra pit again. "Hey, Mr. Anderson, if it's alright, I had Mark using my sheet music. There are some notes on there, since I'm very particular when it comes to my performances."

"Let me see them." Mr. Anderson called from below. A hand popped up, held open for the sheet music.

Kurt's heart about skipped a beat when he heard Mr. Anderson speak. He knew that voice, even though it had been such a long time since he had heard it. It couldn't be though. How could Blaine be here, right this very second in the same room as him?

"Kurt?" The instructor interrupted his thoughts.

"Wh- oh, sorry." Kurt's face reddened and he crouched down to pick up his sheet music, placing it in the open hand.

The sheet music disappeared down below. "Hold on a minute and I should be good." The voice called back up. Kurt stood and moved back a few steps to wait. Shortly after a minute had passed the hand popped back up, giving Kurt a thumbs up. "I'm good. Whenever you're ready, Mr. Hummel."

Kurt was most definitely sure by now that that was Blaine's voice. His mind was not playing tricks on him. For a quick second Kurt was not entirely sure he could sing – his stomach had started doing some odd flip flops at the realization that his old best friend was currently in the same room as him – but then he took a deep breath and steadied himself. This was a situation he could deal with after rehearsal. Kurt nodded towards his instructor, indicating he was ready to start. "Let's see what you've got, Mr. Anderson." He smirked lightly to himself.

Kurt was not disappointed either. There was a brief musical introduction before he started singing and Mr. Anderson – well, Blaine – played it even better than Kurt could imagine. All the way through the entire piece Blaine paid attention to all the little notes Kurt had jotted down and Kurt could feel his eyes tearing up a little as they drew close to the end of the song. This was exactly how he wanted his performance to go at that night's concert.

As the song drew to a close, the rest of the group clapped out in their seats. The instructor was clapping as well. "That was great. You guys do that tonight and we'll have all the audience reaching for their tissues." Some of the students laughed, nodding, as Kurt's face reddened from the compliment. "Lets run it one more time and I think we'll be good for the afternoon." So they did the song once more, just as well as the first time. Kurt was feeling confident that their concert was going to be quite amazing.

*~*~*~**~**~*~*~*~*~~

Blaine had been disappointed when he first walked into the music room and realized Kurt was not there. He had followed the group into the auditorium, one of the students showing him the way down to the orchestra pit where the piano currently was. It would be moved onto the stage for the actual concert. There was nothing for him to do but wait until it was time for the soloists to practice, so he looked through the sheet music for the two songs he would be playing for. The first number had a girl's name – Gabby – written at the top. There were a couple of notes jotted down throughout the pages indicating different tempo changes and such, which Blaine took note of. When he had seen the name written at the top left corner of the second piece his heart had skipped a beat. He was going to get to play for Kurt.

A memory had come to the surface. It was Christmas time and he was waiting anxiously at the back of the line of children for his turn to perform on the glitter coated stage for the adults. The boy singing on the stage currently had the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. It brought tears to his eyes. When the boy had finished and the audience was clapping enthusiastically, Blaine had known right then and there that Kurt was not going to be around in the orphanage for much longer. There was no doubt in his mind.

That night so long ago, he and Kurt had both agreed that one day they would get to perform together on stage. It looked like tonight that was finally going to happen. Blaine had wondered if Kurt remembered that at all. Kurt had probably not even thought about it.

Halfway through one of the songs Blaine had heard the instructor calling out to someone that they were late. Blaine missed the name, but he knew without a doubt that it was Kurt.

He had waited patiently through the rest of the group performances and most of the solos. It had not been long before the instructor had finally called down to him to get ready for Gabby's solo. He had had plenty of time to look over both pieces of music so he was pretty familiar with them by this point. Not wanting to let his old instructor down, Blaine had made sure to perform his best. After running her performance three times it had been time to move on to the next soloist. Blaine had felt his heart start to race slightly. He would be playing for Kurt now.

Blaine was supposed to be watching the instructor for the cue to start but it did not come. Suddenly Kurt was talking, but it was not to the instructor, it was to him – Blaine. He wanted Blaine to use his sheet music. Well Blaine could do that. He had reached up for the music, asking to see it, and waited for it to be placed in his hand. Time had almost seemed to pause for a moment. When a few more seconds passed by and still no music, Blaine grew confused. That was when the instructor spoke Kurt's name and Kurt apologized, placing the music in Blaine's open hand. Kurt had sounded almost flustered a bit. Had he figured out that it was Blaine who was down here playing the piano? Blaine took a minute to overlook the new sheet music. It was the same as he already had but there were little handwritten notes all over the place. Kurt had not been lying when he said he was very particular about his performances. Blaine had been sure he could get it all right though so he had given Kurt a thumbs up and the go ahead to start the song. Kurt's reply was almost a challenge it sounded like, but it was the way that he had said 'Mr. Anderson' that had Blaine's stomach doing flip flops. There had been a smirk to Kurt's tone and Blaine was most definitely sure Kurt knew it was him by this point. Well, Blaine would perform the best he ever had, just for Kurt.

And the performance did go well. The instructor only had them run it again once more, both times sounding a bit overwhelmed with emotion afterward. Well, as long as the concert was good and Kurt's solo went well then Blaine would be happy.

After the rehearsal was over, Blaine was free to go until the concert that night. He knew Sam was going to be around soon so they could get something to eat together, but he wanted to talk to Kurt first. The only problem was that Kurt seemed to have disappeared. Did he still not want to talk to Blaine? Blaine was not going to let this opportunity go though. He had to see Kurt and talk to him.

After several minutes of searching and no Kurt, Blaine was starting to feel a little disheartened. His phone started ringing in his pocket and he looked to see it was Sam. "Hey, Sam!"

"Blaaaaine! I am so lost." Sam laughed on the other end of the phone. "Where are you?"

Blaine chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't worry, I'll come get you. Stay right where you are...er, where are you?"

"I don't knoooow!" They both laughed and then took a few minutes to sort out about where Sam was so Blaine could find him. After hanging up, Blaine looked about the lobby of the performing arts center again and sighed. Guess he could try to find Kurt later.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So...you aren't going to talk to him?" Rachel asked, watching as Kurt peeked around the corner to watch Blaine walk off.

"No...I mean, well, yes, I am, but not right now." Kurt replied, sighing. His stomach felt all jittery and nervous. "He hasn't gotten much taller since I last saw him, has he?" He commented out loud to himself. But boy is he still attractive... He shook that last thought from his head.

Rachel pursed her lips, folding her arms across her chest. "You know...by the way you look at him I'd think..." She paused midsentence, shrugging as Kurt turned his head to give her a 'what?' glare. "Oh, nothing. Are you ready for lunch?" She asked, linking her arm with his.

Kurt nodded in reply, leading the way out of the building. "Starving. I haven't gotten to eat anything yet today. Well, I had coffee if that counts."

"It doesn't." Rachel laughed. "Is Mitch joining us? I'm assuming he's the reason you were late." She winked at him.

"No, he has some last minute project to work on, but he'll be at the concert." Kurt's face had reddened at Rachel's wink. "And get those dirty thoughts out of your mind, girl. But if you really must know then, yes, he was technically the reason I was late."

Rachel giggled and dragged Kurt onward down the sidewalk to the main street.

*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~

"Well, at least it didn't take too long to find you." Blaine laughed as he and Sam walked down the main street.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're laughing. It wasn't funny for me." Sam pouted. "I got hit on by some guy named Chris. I swear, I thought the guy was going to jump me right there on the sidewalk. He was way too pushy. At least his friend dragged him off before I had to make a run for it. You should be glad I like you so much and want to support you in your musical endeavors...otherwise I would so not be here right now."

Blaine opened the door to a little caf� along the street and let Sam go in before following behind him. "You may complain now, but I bet you enjoyed the attention."

"Uh, no." Sam replied, playfully shoving Blaine's shoulder. He may have enjoyed the attention and flirty remarks if they had come from Blaine...but not from some random guy he did not know. "Go sit down, B. I'll get us some coffee."

"Do you need to know my coffee order?" Blaine asked.

Sam laughed, gently shoving Blaine towards a table in the corner. "Trust me, Blaine. I know what your coffee order is." He smiled fondly as he watched his friend head for the table, then he made his way to the counter to order their drinks.

How it was not obvious to Blaine that Sam liked him...well, Sam had no idea. He had had a major crush on Blaine for quite some time now. Neither of them talked about that night from last year anymore and Sam most definitely would not say what else he had told a very drunken Blaine that night. After a long time had passed and Sam had grown sick of the odd distance that had grown between them, he had finally just decided things would be better off if he did not mention to Blaine ever that he liked him. They could go back to living together with no odd feelings...not that Blaine would even know why there were odd feelings in the first place. Maybe some day in the future...well, Sam could keep hoping, right? It was not like Blaine had ever expressed interest in anyone else anyway.

"Hey there, gorgeous." A voice interrupted him from his thoughts.

Sam turned and saw it was the guy – Chris - who had been hitting on him earlier when he had first arrived around the school. He sighed silently and turned back to the counter, waiting for his drinks to be finished.

"Aw, come on, don't ignore me." Chris chuckled, moving up beside him. "My friend pulled me away too soon; I don't know your name, sugar."

"Good." Sam replied, smirking slightly as he reached for his finished drinks. Thanking the lady behind the counter he turned to go back to the table where Blaine was waiting. He paused long enough to finish his reply to Chris. "Let's keep it that way."

"Chris, are you bugging that poor guy again?" The same friend – the one who had dragged Chris away before - came up and grabbed his arm. "Leave him alone. I swear you hit on every thing that moves."

"But Mitch you never let me have any fun." Chris whined, tugging his arm free. "Hanging out with you sucks."

The second guy – Mitch – rolled his eyes and turned to Sam. "Sorry about him. He's always like this. I told him some day he's going to hit on the wrong guy and get beat up by a huge, scary, jealous boyfriend. Oh god," Mitch gave Sam a slightly panicked look, "you don't have some huge, scary boyfriend do you? I can't protect Chris if he gets into a fight..."

Sam could not help it - he laughed loudly, shaking his head at Mitch's question. "No worries, I'm single." His eyes involuntarily strayed over to the table where Blaine was sitting. Blaine was sitting with his back towards them, so he was currently unaware of the conversation taking place over at the counter.

Mitch followed his gaze and spotted Blaine as well. "Though you wish you weren't, huh?" He chuckled at the embarrassed look on Sam's face. "I totally get it."

"Well, does this make me the only one happy that he's single?" Chris remarked brightly. "I'd be happier if I had a name though."

"Sorry, not gonna happen." Sam replied, grinning. "Now, it was nice talking, but these drinks are getting cold. So if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my friend."

"I'll carry them!" Chris snatched the drinks from Sam's hand and took off before Sam could protest.

"Oh my god." Sam facepalmed.

Mitch groaned and shook his head. "I am so sorry about him. Let's go get him before he causes any trouble."

They took off after Chris who had already made it to the table and was sitting in the second chair, across from Blaine. When Sam got closer he could see a confused look upon Blaine's face.

"Blaine, I'm sorry it took so long...I was being held back." Sam sat down in the chair next to Blaine, grabbing his drink back from Chris after setting his cell phone down on the table.

"So I gather." Blaine laughed. "This is that Chris fellow you were gushing about earlier, huh?"

Sam gasped in horror and smacked Blaine's arm roughly. "I was not gushing about him. More like complaining."

"He was gushing about me, huh?" Chris grinned, winking at Sam. "Well call me flattered. I can't imagine I'm anywhere as attractive as Sam is though."

Blaine looked quite amused and Sam kicked him under the table causing him to wince slightly. He could not believe Blaine had actually told Chris his name.

Chris looked up to see Mitch was still standing off to the side. "God, Mitch. You just gonna stand there all day? Come sit."

"No...I think I'll pass." Mitch responded, his gaze on Blaine.

Blaine looked up and froze when he recognized Mitch. Sam saw the looks of recognition between the two and was confused. "Mitch? You're Kurt's frie-"

"Boyfriend. I'm his boyfriend, for a very long time now." Mitch interrupted Blaine, glaring down at him. "Kurt called me a little bit ago and told me you were the guy subbing for their concert pianist. He sounded a bit upset. Now I know you two were close back when you were little, but things are different now. Kurt has me; he doesn't need you, and I don't like how seeing or hearing from you upsets him. So just stay away from him, alright?"

Sam had been watching Blaine while Mitch spoke. Blaine had not told him that Kurt was in this concert tonight. That was surprising. It looked like Blaine was slightly shocked and speechless by what Mitch had said. Mitch's little speech had angered Sam though, and before Blaine could say anything he was speaking up instead. "I'm sorry, but you can't speak to him like that." Sam glared up at Mitch. "While it's understandable that you should be concerned and want to protect your boyfriend from things that upset him, in the end it's up to Kurt whether or not he wants Blaine to stay away from him. I'm sure Kurt can tell Blaine all that himself later, because whether you like it or not Blaine is talking to Kurt tonight."

"Not if I can help it." Mitch huffed, shooting a glare at Sam.

"Mitch, you don't understand." Blaine finally spoke, looking up at Mitch with a pleading expression. "I just want to be friends with Kurt again. I'm not looking for...for a relationship beyond that, I swear. There's no need to get all jealous."

Mitch laughed shortly, rolling his eyes. "Jealous? I'm most definitely not jealous. There's nothing to be jealous of." He gave Blaine a superior look.

Sam was not amused by this conversation at all and was most definitely not pleased with how this Mitch fellow was treating Blaine. "Oh, I think anyone could see who the better looking guy is here." He glared up at Mitch. "I think it's time you leave."

"You would say that, wouldn't you? Cause you're the only one who thinks it." Mitch replied, amused. "Maybe compliments will get you further since obviously telling him how you feel isn't something you're capable of. Come on, Chris. Let's go." He turned and walked off, not even looking back to see if Chris was following him.

Sam was fuming, staring down at the table, his face red from embarrassment. Mitch should not have said all that. Now Blaine would question him about everything and Sam did not want to tell him about his feelings.

Chris had been silent through the little fight, but now he had to go follow Mitch. Sighing, he stood and then reached down to pick up Sam's phone. Before Sam could protest, he typed his number into Sam's phone and then hit send so he could get Sam's number. Setting the phone back down on the table, he grinned, winking at Sam. "I'll text you later, Sammy. Bye, guys." And with that he turned and left the caf� as well. Sam made a mental note to ignore all of Chris' texts or calls.

As soon as Chris was gone an awkward silence settled over the table between the two friends. Eventually Sam could not stand it anymore and spoke up quietly. "That Mitch fellow was rude. I don't care what he says; you have to talk to Kurt tonight. You've been waiting for so long and now's your chance."

"He was rude, wasn't he?" Blaine sighed. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Sam."

Sam looked up and caught Blaine watching him. His face reddened and he shrugged, looking back down at his coffee cup. "You're one of my best friends, Blaine. I couldn't let him talk to you like that." He paused for a second before continuing. "So...you're performing with Kurt tonight, huh? I can't believe how lucky this is. You've been waiting for ages to see him again."

"Yeah, I was going to tell you after you got back with the coffee. I was quite surprised when I found out. Sam...what was Mitch talking about right before he left?" Blaine asked.

Sam's heart was literally thudding in his chest. He could not talk to Blaine about this yet; he just was not ready. Well, he was...but right now he was panicking too much to think clearly. "Nothing? I don't know what he was talking about...er, so Kurt has a solo right? What's he singing?"

Blaine reached over and touched Sam's hand gently. "You're deflecting, Sam. Do you...do you like me?"

"Oh god." Sam was close to freaking out. He had never tried telling a guy before that he had feelings for them...well, besides that night Blaine was drunk, but Blaine did not remember it so Sam figured it did not really count. "Can we just talk about this later? Like...tonight when we get home, or tomorrow...or maybe never?"

"Sure..." Blaine replied softly.

"Thank goodness." Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Let's get out of here? We still have time before you have to be at the school, we can look in some of the shops along the street."

Blaine nodded in response and they both stood, taking their coffees with them as they left the caf�.

*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~~

"Oh my god, that shirt is crazy weird yet amazing."

"Rachel, even Lady Gaga wouldn't be caught wearing that." Kurt rolled his eyes. "I swear you should just let me do all your clothes shopping for you."

Rachel giggled and shook her head, moving over to another wall of the little store to look at some jewelry. They had left the school earlier and had stopped for coffee. Then, since they did not have to be at the school for several hours, they decided to window shop a bit before getting dinner. They were currently in one of Kurt's most favorite consignment shops, just browsing a little bit. Kurt was looking at some scarves when an arm looped around his waist.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Mitch!" Kurt smiled brightly, turning in his boyfriend's embrace to face him. "I thought you weren't going to get over here until later! Oh, hey, Chris." He waved over at Chris who was standing nearby.

"I know." Mitch replied, grinning. "But I just said that so I could surprise you. Surprise!" He laughed.

"You're amazing." Kurt whispered, leaning close to kiss Mitch softly. Chris rolled his eyes and went over to bother Rachel.

Mitch kissed him back then pulled away slightly to smile down at him. "I know. Oh, and we ran into Blaine at that little caf� down the street. I wasn't totally surprised to see him around since you texted me and told me he was the guy subbing for your usual pianist. I saw him getting coffee with some guy. He recognized me too, surprisingly. I didn't expect that."

"Well...he may have only seen you once, ages ago, but you still kind of look the same." Kurt laughed, smiling fondly at his boyfriend.

"Yeah, yeah." Mitch chuckled. "Well, anyway, we talked a little bit. Don't worry, I was perfectly nice. He's a friendly guy."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~

The concert was in an hour. And for the first time that Blaine could remember...he was nervous about a performance. He was nervous because he did not want to screw Kurt's solo up, but the main reason he was nervous was because of Kurt. It was not just the fact that he wanted to make Kurt's performance the best it could be, it was because this was Kurt. The Kurt he had used to be best friends with. The Kurt he had told so very long ago that one day they would perform together on stage in front of tons of people.

Blaine needed some air so he left the music room and headed for the main doors. Once outside he stood, leaning against the railing to the steps leading up to the door. The night air was cold, but it was not as bad as it could be since there was not even a slight breeze blowing. Sam was inside the auditorium already, having figured it would not be that bad getting there early because he could get a great front row seat then. Blaine was trying really hard not to think about the conversation he was going to have with Sam later. It was too distracting.

One of the doors opened behind him and he turned his head to see who was leaving the building. His eyes locked on a pair of bright blue ones and they both froze.

"Kurt..."

"Blaine...uh, hi." Kurt spoke quietly, letting the door shut behind him. "I've, uh, seemed to have misplaced my boyfriend." He laughed lightly.

"Sorry, haven't seen him." Blaine replied. He bet Mitch had not told Kurt anything about his little conversation with Blaine in the caf� earlier.

Yet, at the same time...maybe he had. What if Kurt still really did not want to talk to him or see him, and he really was upset over the fact that they had to perform together? So maybe he had asked his boyfriend to tell Blaine to stay away from him. Blaine had not thought of that. The thought saddened him.

"So...we're performing together." Kurt commented softly. Blaine looked back over at him and nodded, wondering what Kurt was thinking about right now...and wondering when he was going to try and make an escape.

What Kurt said next had Blaine thinking that maybe Kurt had changed his mind and finally did want to talk to him. "When we were little you told me one day we would do this. Guess it's finally happening."

"You remember that?" Blaine was watching Kurt hopefully.

"I remember a lot, Blaine." Kurt responded sadly.

There was something else in Kurt's eyes that Blaine could not read. When Kurt shifted and looked away, Blaine realized he had been staring too intently. "I should get back inside." Kurt commented, reaching for the door handle.

"Kurt, wait!" Blaine almost panicked as he reached his right hand out towards Kurt. What if he did not get a chance to talk to Kurt after the concert? What if this was the last chance he got and then Kurt would disappear again?

Kurt looked back at him then dropped his gaze to Blaine's outstretched hand. There was that look in his eyes again that Blaine could not understand. Was it fear? His eyes might have been playing tricks on him, but it almost looked like...longing. Whatever it was, Blaine did not get the chance to find out because Kurt had looked away again back towards the door.

"Meet me in the music room after the concert." Kurt whispered. And then he opened the door again and slipped back inside.

Blaine watched him leave, a faint smile on his face. This was it. Kurt was finally going to talk to him. Or he could just be telling him once and for all to leave him alone...but Blaine desperately wanted to think positively here. He quickly sent a text to Sam, letting him know that he would probably be a while after the concert.

Meeting Kurt after the concert...hopefully this means we'll finally get to talk. I'll be a bit late home then.

Finally! I'm glad. Don't worry about being late. I'll leave the kitchen light on for you.

Thanks. ...and we'll talk tomorrow, okay?

There was no reply from Sam after that. Blaine sighed, heading back into the building. He would worry about it later. Warm ups were starting soon and he figured he better be there.

When he got back to the music room he spotted Kurt talking to a few of his friends. Blaine watched him for a second before going over to the practice piano where his sheet music was. Kurt's music was on top of Gabby's. As Blaine looked down to pick the music up something caught his eye. There was something new written at the top of the first page of Kurt's sheet music.

Courage.

Blaine just about choked on all the emotions that hit him at once when he saw the word that was in Kurt's handwriting. He looked over at Kurt with wonderment and caught him gazing right back. As soon as Kurt caught Blaine looking, he smiled and then turned back to his friends. Blaine was pretty sure his heart had almost exploded. Kurt had the most stunning smile. He really hoped they would be friends again after tonight; he wanted Kurt to smile at him like that more often.

The time for the concert quickly approached and they all headed for the stage. Blaine got to wait off side of the stage since he did not have to do anything until Gabby and Kurt sang their solos. Once the solos started all the rest of the group got off the stage. Blaine was surprised when he realized Kurt was standing next to him, waiting for his turn to sing. Kurt was not looking at him, but it was almost like Blaine could feel that they were both quite aware of the other's presence.

It was not long before Blaine had to go out on the stage to play piano for Gabby. The girl looked slightly nervous and Blaine gave her a reassuring smile. The performance went well and the audience loved it. After Gabby left the stage, Kurt was introduced and he walked on stage. Blaine could not take his eyes off of Kurt as he moved over towards the piano. Kurt walked like he owned the stage. There was so much confidence and light surrounding him; he was practically glowing.

Once Kurt was set he looked over at Blaine and smiled, nodding slightly to let him know he was ready. Blaine took a deep, steadying breath and smiled back. This was it. It was their moment, well, Kurt's moment, but for them both...it was a big moment.

When Kurt's solo was over and the audience was standing, clapping and cheering loudly, Blaine could hardly move. There were tears in his eyes and his gaze was fixed entirely upon Kurt.

Kurt looked absolutely thrilled with the audience's reaction. When he looked over and caught Blaine's gaze, Blaine realized Kurt had tears in his eyes as well. They did not need to exchange words to understand how the other was feeling at that moment.

*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~~*

Blaine waited in the music room until it was empty before wondering if Kurt was going to show up at all. He was just about to give up and leave when the door opened and Kurt slipped into the room.

They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence before Blaine finally spoke up. "I thought you had changed your mind for a moment and weren't going to show up."

"Sorry. I had to get rid of Mitch and Chris." Kurt replied. "Mitch was practically begging me to come home straightaway, but I told him our music group always goes out for drinks after concerts so he may as well go home cause I'd be out late."

Blaine had no doubts about the real reason Mitch did not want Kurt to stick around after the concert. "So...he doesn't know we're talking?"

"No." Kurt replied shortly, sighing and moving across the room to sit on the piano bench. "I will tell him, I swear, because I hate lying to him. It's just...I know he said he was civil with you earlier today when he ran into you and your friend, but I honestly don't think he likes you too much."

No kidding. Blaine tried not to frown too much when he heard that Mitch had lied to Kurt and told him that his conversation with Blaine had been civil. It had been practically anything but. Kurt did not deserve to be lied to. Unfortunately Blaine felt like it might be stepping a bit out of line if he were to say anything offensive about Kurt's boyfriend to him, just when they were trying to be friends again. It was a difficult position to be in.

"Well, I'm sure I could try and change his opinion of me...if you wanted." Blaine responded. He was giving Kurt an opening to start the conversation they both knew they needed to have.

"Blaine..." Kurt bit his lip, his voice sounding somewhat nervous. "I want to apologize. I've been absolutely terrible to you- no, wait, please let me finish." Blaine had started to say something, but Kurt would not let him. He needed to apologize properly. "I was completely rude to you every time we saw each other and it was unnecessary. At first I think it was just because we got off on the wrong footing at the coffee shop, but once I knew who you were and remembered you...well, I think I was just scared. And sometimes...well, actually, a lot of times, when I'm scared I protect myself by saying horrible, sarcastic and rude things."

"My friends from Dalton still call me Curly top whenever they see me." Blaine commented.

Kurt giggled and shook his head. "I'm so sorry about that, though honestly that was hardly one of my best insults."

"I don't understand though, Kurt." Blaine went over and sat down on the piano bench next to Kurt's left. It was nice when he realized Kurt was not going to jump up and try to get away from him. "Why would you be scared? I just...I just wanted us to try and be friends again."

"I know you did." Kurt stared down at his dress shoes, cursing all the emotions that were bringing tears to his eyes. "I could see it in your eyes how much you wanted to be friends again. And I don't know why I was scared...I think it was just because it had been such a long time and, yes, you were still the Blaine I had been friends with, but at the same time you were a complete stranger. You were different. So much can change in a couple of years, Blaine."

Blaine nodded in understanding. A lot could change in only a few years, and they had been separated for ten before seeing each other again. "I know. And I guess I can see how...how that would be scary for you."

"I feel like such an idiot." Kurt burst out, looking back up at Blaine with tearful eyes. "My friend, Mercedes, she kept bugging me about how I treated you each time we saw one another. I kept dismissing it and trying to forget about you. It wasn't until last year that I finally came to my senses." He paused to take a deep breath and Blaine watched him silently, waiting to see if he would explain. "I got a call...from my father – my real father. I saw him once more after leaving the orphanage and back then I'd told him to never contact me again. So this call was really upsetting, especially when I found out he was calling from jail."

"Oh, goodness, Kurt..." Maybe it was just the memory of having done it so many times before when they'd both been at the orphanage, but Blaine wanted to just reach out and take Kurt's hand in his and hold it to comfort him. He did not though, because he was not sure how Kurt would react to the gesture.

"I yelled at him and hung up. His apologies were meaningless." Kurt shook his head. "Afterward I was in my room and about to call Mercedes to talk to her about it when I realized...I realized the only person I really wanted around at that moment was you."

Blaine blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"Yes, because I knew if we were still friends then you would be there for me and...you would hold my hand and tell me everything was going to be alright. And that was when I realized what an idiot I'd been for pushing you away all those times we saw each other." Kurt took a deep breath. "I don't want to push you away anymore, Blaine. I want us to be friends again, but I've been so awful to you. I can't expect you to forgive me easily after all this time. Is it...is it too late?"

"No." Blaine replied softly. "Never. I would have waited forever for you to want to be friends with me again."

Kurt was unable to hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Blaine hated seeing Kurt cry. It made him sad too. He was overjoyed that they would finally be friends again, but there was one more thing he wanted...just one little thing, something he knew would be a comfort to Kurt too.

He held his right hand out slowly, noticing it was shaking a tiny bit. Kurt sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes, and looked down at Blaine's hand. It only took a second and then he tentatively placed his left hand in Blaine's right.

Blaine let go of the breath he had been holding in wait to see how Kurt would react. A small smile spread across his face when Kurt's fingers laced with his own. It was just like when they had been kids. Their hands fit perfectly together and, to Blaine, it felt like home.

"Would it sound creepy if I told you I've been waiting for this for a long time?" Blaine asked, chuckling lightly. "I know...holding hands back then was a great comfort to you, but I don't think I ever told you how much of a comfort it was to me too."

"You probably hadn't had to tell me. I think I could just tell." Kurt smiled.

"Kurt, you...you wrote 'courage' at the top of your sheet music..."

Kurt nodded and used his right hand to dig through his coat pocket. He pulled a small piece of paper out and handed it to Blaine. It was the 'courage' note Abby had had him write for Kurt that one day at the mall. "I've kept it with me every day since last year when I finally realized I had to try and be friends with you again. It's kept me going even when things have been really rough."

"Wow..." Blaine grinned, handing the paper back to Kurt so he could put it back in his pocket. "I'm glad it was so helpful." And it made him happy knowing Kurt had been thinking about him so much.

"I know it's getting late," Kurt looked over at the clock that was hanging up on the wall, "but I'm sure my friends are still all out. Would you like to go for some drinks?" He did not want to say goodbye to Blaine yet.

Blaine looked over at the clock too. The concert had ended around 9:30, but by the time they had started talking it had almost been 10. Now it was after 10. Sam was probably home and asleep by now.

He did not want to stop talking to Kurt yet, but the thought of getting drinks made him nervous. "Uh...I'm sure your friends are quite nice, but I don't really drink anymore." In fact he had barely even drunk at all since the past year's incident with Kevin.

Kurt wondered at the slightly nervous tone in Blaine's voice. He did not want to make Blaine uncomfortable though so he did not push the topic. "Well, I'm sure you could hang out with us another time. I think Gabby would like that. She was totally talking earlier about how cute you are." He laughed.

"Oh?" Blaine laughed too. "Maybe I'll let you have the fun in letting her down gently to the fact that I'm not interested in girls romantically."

"You're gay, too?" Kurt asked, trying not to sound too surprised, and trying to ignore how hearing that had caused some sort of odd fluttering of his heart.

"Yeah." Blaine nodded. There was an expression on his face that Kurt just could not read.

"So, was that guy Mitch and Chris saw you with earlier, was he..."

"Sam? No," Blaine shook his head, "he's my roommate. We've been living together since I started college. Nick was living with us for a while too, but then he went to France for a year and when he came back he and Abby got a place together. So now it's just Sam and I."

"That's nice." Kurt smiled. "And Nick went to France for a year? Did he have fun? I went to study there for a year too."

"I know." Blaine grinned. "Nick told me he spotted you there the day he and some friends went to the Eiffel Tower."

Kurt looked at Blaine in wonderment. "Wow...okay, I know this is going to sound totally weird, but...we've had a lot of instances of close contact over the years, haven't we? I mean, there's been so many times where either I've run into someone you've known or you've run into someone I've known...and we were close to a way of seeing one another without even realizing it. Like when I was little and went to the hospital to see my mom. I saw Abby there. And then the piano playing...that was you wasn't?"

Blaine nodded, letting everything Kurt was saying sink in. It all did make sense. "I used to go there a lot to play for the kids. I don't think this sounds crazy at all. You got lost in New York when you were little, didn't you?"

"Yeah...how did you know that?" Kurt asked, surprised.

"My mom was the lady who found you." Blaine explained. Kurt's hand flew to his mouth in shock. "It's like...we were meant to be together...er, like friends, you know?" Blaine continued. "I bet, if I hadn't been asked to sub for your guys' pianist tonight, we still would have met eventually. We wouldn't know where or wouldn't know when, but it would definitely happen. Like...fate or something."

Kurt giggled and nodded. "It sounds so crazy, yet, at the same time, actually possible. Well...we're going to stay friends this time. I promise."

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that." Blaine smiled broadly. I'm not losing you again. "Since it is getting late...let me give you my number. We need to hang out soon, because we have so much to get caught up on."

"Definitely." Kurt nodded in agreement. He got his phone out of his pocket and added Blaine's number to his contacts, all with his right hand. "I'll send you a text later so you can have my number too."

"Great." Blaine grinned. "I guess we should head on out now..." He tried not to sound too sad about that fact.

They both stood and headed over to the music room door. When they both went for the door handle they paused and then laughed. Blaine was almost nervous to go for the handle again, remembering how offended Kurt had been when Blaine had tried holding the door for him at Sectionals all those years ago.

Kurt seemed to know what he was thinking and grinned sheepishly. "If you really want to open the door for me I won't yell at you this time."

"Oh, thank goodness." Blaine laughed in relief. "I felt terrible that time before..." He opened the door and they left the room.

They took their time leaving the building, knowing it was going to be cold outside. The cold, winter air hit them as soon as they opened the door.

"Ugh, I hate the cold." Kurt whined, shivering.

"Same. The cold's so mean." Blaine sighed, wrinkling his nose in annoyance at the frigid air.

The action was so undeniably cute Kurt could not help but giggle a little. When Blaine looked at him in slight confusion, Kurt just smiled and looked away. "Rachel told me you were a bit lost getting here...you'll be okay getting home?"

"Yeah." Blaine nodded. "Though, honestly, getting to the school wasn't a problem...it was this particular building I couldn't find." He chuckled. "Promise you'll call me?"

Kurt smiled, nodding. "I promise. So...I'll see you soon." There was so much more he wanted to say, so much more he wanted to ask Blaine, but it was late. They would make plans to see each other again soon and then they would talk about everything.

"Definitely." Blaine agreed.

They made to go their separate ways and that was when they realized they were still holding one another's hand. Both looked down at their clasped hands in slight surprise. They had been holding hands since inside the music room, after Kurt had apologized. It had felt so natural, so...right, that they had just sort of forgotten it was happening.

Blaine laughed and Kurt looked up at him with a questioning gaze. "What's so funny?"

"Not...funny, more like, it just really hit me - you're back in my life. I'm just really happy right now." Blaine explained. Before Kurt could say anything, Blaine pulled him close and wrapped his arms around Kurt tightly. Everything just felt right again when he was with Kurt. "I've missed you." He whispered close to Kurt's ear.

Kurt was surprised when Blaine pulled him close, but he definitely did not mind. He relaxed into his friend's embrace, burying his face down into Blaine's shoulder. "I've missed you too, Blaine."

Everything was still slightly emotionally overwhelming and a few more tears escaped, unbidden, down Kurt's cheeks, falling onto Blaine's coat. He was happy as well; happy that Blaine was in his life again, happy that Blaine had still wanted to be his friend after all this time and how he had treated him before. Something seemed to change for Kurt that night and he realized that things felt...right again, like this was how things were meant to be. He and Blaine were meant to be friends and Kurt was not losing him ever again.

"I guess...I should let you go now." Kurt commented, lifting his head from Blaine's shoulder.

"Well, technically I'm the one holding onto you, so I should be the one letting you go." Blaine replied.

Kurt giggled, stepping back from Blaine who reluctantly let go of him. "Alright, Mr. Smartypants, I'm going to head off now. I'll call you tomorrow." He smiled warmly at Blaine before turning to walk off.

"Kurt, wait!" He heard Blaine calling after him so he paused. Right as he was going to turn around, a fuzzy grey scarf was placed around his neck. He finished turning around as Blaine loosely tied the scarf around his neck. "There. That'll keep you warm as you head home." It was the scarf Blaine had just been wearing a few seconds ago. It was quite warm and smelled nice.

Kurt was speechless for a moment. His heart rate had seemed to speed up just at the kind gesture. "Thank you, Blaine...but won't you be colder now?" He shot a concerned look down at the man standing in front of him.

"I'll be good." Blaine replied, giving him a reassuring look. "It looks good on you, keep it."

"Really?" Kurt looked at him with wide eyes. "Thank you." He smiled, pulling the scarf slightly tighter around his neck. "I'll bring you one of mine the next time we meet. How about that?"

"I'd love that." Blaine grinned.

This time it was Kurt who hugged Blaine first. "Night, Blaine." He smiled, stepping back from his friend.

"Night, Kurt." Blaine waved farewell before he turned to head for home.

Kurt watched him go for a while before finally turning to leave as well. It was too late and he was too tired to go see if his friends were still out drinking. He would just head for home and hope Mitch had already gone to sleep.

Both Kurt and Blaine were glad that this time they were parting as friends, with the knowledge that they would get to see each other again soon.

*~*~*~**~**~*~*~*~*~

After having failed to get Kurt to leave with him after the concert, Mitch had gone home in a foul mood. Chris had walked with him most of the way, babbling nonstop about how he was totally going to text spam that Sam fellow nonstop until he finally agreed to go on a date with him. Eventually Mitch had snapped and told him to shut up. Chris had been surprised, but had indeed shut up after that, opting to text spam Sam instead. They parted ways at Chris' street and then Mitch had continued on his way home.

His intention had been to stay up until Kurt got back, to try and find out if Kurt had talked to that Blaine fellow. That quite attractive, overly friendly Blaine fellow who obviously wanted to try and steal Kurt away from him.

Unfortunately it had been quite a long day and Mitch was exhausted. He had tried watching a little television for a while but eventually just drifted off to sleep, lying down on the couch.

*~*~*~*~***~*~*~*~~

Sam had taken his time getting home. When he was about halfway there his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. A second later it vibrated again...then again...and again and again. Confused, Sam pulled his phone out of his pocket to see a number he did not recognize. Once he read the texts though he had no doubt who the mystery texts were from.

Hey, babe, guess who?

Im going 2 keep blowing up ur phone until u agree to a date with me ;)

That being said, will u go on a date with me?

Ignoring me won't work, gorgeous.

I'll beg.

Sam laughed out loud at the texts. Well, the guy was persistent, wasn't he? Too bad Sam's heart already lay elsewhere.

Though something told him that things were not going to work out the way he wanted them too. Not after seeing how Blaine had watched Kurt up on that stage tonight... No. Sam did not want to think about that. Not yet. Not until he was home and could be totally alone.

So Chris' texts were a...er, somewhat welcome distraction. You're going to have to do a lot of begging. He replied.

It only took a few seconds before his phone was vibrating again. How much is 'a lot'? & is that something that gets u off, cause I can go all out if so.

Sam just about choked on air after reading the text, causing him to cough a bit. Oh goodness. This Chris guy was a bit too blunt for Sam's comfort zone, mainly because Sam had no sexual experience whatsoever. Sure he could joke about sexual things some times, but when it came to actually doing that sort of stuff, well, the very thought made him slightly nervous. He had not even had his first kiss yet. The only person who knew that was Blaine.

You keep trying and I'll eventually tell you when it's been enough. Sam finally replied to Chris.

So that means that I at least have a chance then. Alright! ;)

Sam cursed his poor choice of words for giving Chris the idea that he might have a chance. Ah well. The guy could beg all he wanted. It just was not going to happen. Keep dreaming. : )

I will, about u tonight while I sleep.

Sam had finally reached his apartment and was glad to be inside out of the cold. He took his jacket off and went into his room to change into comfy sleepwear. Yeah? Well have fun; dreaming is the closest you'll ever get. ;)

Then I guess I'll have 2 share the dreams with u so u can share the experience.

"Oh my god." Sam laughed, shaking his head. This guy was something else. I'm not big for share and tell, so you can keep your dreams to yourself.

What a shame, babe, cause they'd b some hot dreams. Especially with u in them. Well, fine, I'm going to sleep...all alone, in the dark, cold apartment. : (

You have fun with that. Grab a few extra blankets or something to keep warm. Sam replied, laughing to himself.

U r heartless. No worries, I shall be back 2 bother u tomorrow as well! Night, beautiful!

Sam shook his head, amused. Sure he had told himself not to bother replying to any of Chris' texts, but the conversation had been amusing. Night : )

As soon as he sent the last text to Chris, Sam tossed his phone onto his nightstand and then sighed, running a hand through his hair. Now that he did not have that conversation to distract him he was left alone to his thoughts.

Blaine had found out. Thanks to that Mitch fellow, Blaine now knew about Sam's feelings. And now Blaine wanted to talk about it and Sam was pretty sure who was going to end up the heart broken one in the end.

From what Sam could tell, Blaine had never shown any inclination of having romantic feelings towards him. Sure they teased one another a lot and some times their teasing bordered along the lines of flirting, but it never felt like flirting was the intention Blaine was trying to make.

And then there was Kurt. They both knew Kurt was unavailable. He was dating that rude Mitch fellow – though Sam was quite sure Mitch was not like that around Kurt. But would Kurt's unavailability make any difference if they both decided that, after having found one another again and becoming friends once more, their friendship could grow into something more? Even Sam himself had told Blaine once that his friendship with Kurt was like something from a movie – two friends separated and then reunited several years down the road, only to fall in love with one another.

If so...Sam did not stand a chance. He would just be a nuisance, someone who would get in the way. And it did not help remembering how Blaine had watched Kurt up on that stage this evening. Sam had had a front row seat to the show after all; he could read Blaine's expressions quite well. Blaine had been watching Kurt in amazement, a look of adoration and – yes, Sam was definitely sure he had not been imagining it – longing upon his face. All Sam wanted was for Blaine to look at him that same way, to look at him and smile brightly.

And if that was never going to happen...well, then Sam needed to know that now before it was too late and his feelings turned into something more; if they had not already without him realizing it.

In the end, Sam decided to just go to sleep and wait for the talk with Blaine to happen in the morning.

But that did not happen.

Before heading for bed he went into the kitchen to grab a quick drink of water. On the way past the kitchen table his hand accidentally brushed an open letter to the floor. After watching it flutter past him, Sam reached down and picked it up. Was it something of Blaine's? He knew it had not been on the kitchen table in the morning when he left. He went to put it back onto the table, having decided not to snoop, when his eyes caught the words at the top of the letter stating who it was from and the address. Curiosity won out and Sam let his eyes very briefly skim over the letter addressed to Blaine.

"What the heck?" Sam slumped down to sit on one of the chairs at the table, feeling sadness overtake him. It looked like he and Blaine had more to discuss than he had thought.

*~*~***~**~*~*~*~~*~*

That night when Kurt returned to the apartment he shared with Mitch, and Blaine returned to the apartment he lived in with Sam, both paused outside their doors for a second.

They both knew there was a conversation they were going to have to have in the morning with their roommates, but they both had different expectations when it came to the outcomes of those conversations.

Kurt took a deep breath, hoping he would not wake Mitch up when he went into the apartment. As he went in quietly, he caught a whiff of Blaine's cologne from the grey scarf. The scent calmed him down more than taking deep breaths had. Everything was going to be alright. Mitch was asleep on the couch. Kurt grabbed a blanket and carefully covered him with it before going into the bedroom they shared and changing clothes, hanging Blaine's scarf up in his closet before doing his night time routines and then collapsing onto the bed to sleep.

Blaine had no clue whether Sam would still be awake or not. A part of him was hoping he was so they could talk now instead of waiting for the morning, but another part of him was quite nervous and wanted to wait. He knew what he was going to say to Sam, how he wanted this conversation to end, but it was getting to that point that he was getting nervous about and the outcome. Would things be different afterward because they lived together? Awkwardness was something he wanted to avoid at all costs, but chances were there would probably be some sort of awkwardness for a while. Blaine took a deep breath and quietly slipped into the apartment. The kitchen light was still on, just like Sam had said it would be. He smiled to himself and then decided to go into the kitchen to get a drink before heading to bed. When he walked into the kitchen he froze. Sam was sitting at the table holding a piece of paper, staring at it so intently it looked like he was trying to burn holes through it with his eyes.

When he heard Blaine walk in though, he looked up and Blaine realized there were tears in his eyes. "When were you going to tell me?" Sam asked quietly.

Blaine looked back down at the piece of paper Sam was holding. His heart sank. It was the letter he had gotten that morning - the letter from the orphanage.