Blaine sat in the bathroom for a long time. Then he sighed, pushed his hair back from his forehead, and stood up. Entering the bedroom, he began putting his clothes back into his backpack. There was really no room for the new clothes, so he left them hanging in the closet. Maybe Kurt could donate them to charity, or maybe he could return them. Blaine slipped the receipts into the sport coat pocket just in case.  Grabbing his guitar and backpack and scanning the room to make sure he had everything, Blaine hunched his shoulders and left the room.

On the elevator ride down, Blaine thought about his parents. They had always been good to him. When he told them he was gay they didnt run out to join PFLAG or call their senator to push for domestic partner rights, but they assured Blaine that they wanted him to be happy and that they would always support his choices. When issues of Blaine's sexuality arose, they shifted uncomfortably, but they kept any negative thoughts to themselves. Additionally, Blaine's parents had always been generous with both Blaine and his older brother, Cooper; however, Blaine had watched his brother squander the advantages placed in front of him again and again, and he saw how disappointed his parents were when Cooper refused to go to college and refused to take offered acting classes, despite insisting on a career in acting. Cooper blew through his monthly allowance on any number of frivolities, and he still used his parent's money to support his slacker lifestyle, despite the fact that he was well past the age where a self-respecting man should stop sponging off of his parents. Blaine couldn't fathom exploiting his parents in that way or disappointing them. He never wanted to be Cooper. He took the offered gap year, because he knew he could pay it back with hard work for the rest of his life. Disappointing his parents by turning his back on them, their business, and their investment in him was not an option in Blaine's mind.

Blaine's parents were crushed when Blaine split with Sebastian, as Sebastian was always quick to turn on the charm in his parents' presence.  Sebastian was so good with the snow job that Blaine was never able to turn to his mom and dad when elements of his relationship with his then-boyfriend turned puzzling. If you had asked Blaine seven years ago, he would have insisted that he would never endure an abusive relationship; he would walk away the first time his partner crossed the line. It was humiliating to know that, when push came to shove, he stayed—for six years. Even today, Blaine wasn't sure if what Sebastian did to him counted as abuse. Sebastian was a man's man, and he liked to rough house. He would wrestle Blaine to the bed and hold him down when Blaine had a meeting or a class to get to. When Blaine complained, Sebastian would inevitably say, “Can't you take a joke, babe?” And part of it felt like it was done all in good fun, but there were always fingerprint bruises on Blaine's body, and not all of them were from sex. A couple of times Sebastian had smashed things in Blaine's prep school and college dorm rooms in a fit of rage: lamps, mostly; but he had never outright hit Blaine. Yet a part of Blaine always felt physically intimidated by the taller, more aggressive man who flew off the handle at the slightest provocation. When Sebastian chided Blaine to “be a man” and to “stand up for yourself, wuss,” Blaine felt the failure like a physical pain, and he wondered frequently if he simply wasn't manly enough to be a match for his macho boyfriend.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. The hotel's lobby level was an open concept, and as Blaine stepped out of the elevator he could see Kurt sitting at the hotel bar, nose deep in what appeared to be whiskey over ice. Don't look this way, don't look this way, don't look this way, Blaine chanted to himself. He just wanted to get outside where a bellman could call him a taxi, and then he would be on his way to…somewhere. Maybe the airport. He'd figure it out.

Blaine kept his eyes fixed on Kurt the whole time he moved toward the door, willing Kurt not to turn his head and spot him sneaking out without saying goodbye. It was easier this way.

With his attention riveted on Kurt, Blaine wasn't watching where he was going, and suddenly he collided with a tiny, dark-haired woman who went sprawling on her backside.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry,” Blaine exclaimed, dropping his bags to help her up. “I wasn't watching where…”

“Blaine? Rachel?!”

“Kurt?” The woman vaulted off the floor and launched herself into the arms of Kurt, who had clearly heard the commotion and had come to investigate. Laughing and smiling, she then turned to Blaine and exclaimed, “You must be Blaine!” before throwing herself into Blaine's surprised arms and enveloping him in a huge hug.

“Uh, hi,” he said.

“What are you doing here?” Kurt asked.

Rachel waived a hand, “Oh, I had some extra time before I need to get ready. It doesn't take me that long anymore. I've played Elphaba so many times now I can go from me to wicked witch in minutes.”

“You always could,” quipped Kurt, and Rachel elbowed him in the ribs.

She grasped Blaine's hand, “I'm so excited to meet you.” She looked at Kurt, “Kurt, he's soooooo cute. Good job.”

Kurt smiled.

Then Rachel noticed Blaine's backpack and guitar. “What are you doing with your luggage?”

“Oh, I…uh,”

Blaine noticed the pleading look in Kurt's eyes, and then Kurt interjected. “He was just taking them to the car, because he already has everything he needs. You know, give us a little more space in the hotel room.”

Rachel made a face. “I know. You're always tripping over your luggage in these hotels.” Rachel linked her arms through the arms of both men, “I am so excited that you're here, Kurt, and I'm so excited that you get to see me perform, Blaine. I can't wait until after so that we can all talk, and I want to hear everything about how you two met. Promise you'll both meet me after the show and we'll come back to your room and have an old fashioned slumber party….well, until I go back to my own room, because I don't want to pick up any boy germs.” She winked at Blaine. “Promise me,” she looked at Blaine.

Blaine opened his mouth, not sure what to say.

“I promise we'll both be there, Rachel,” Kurt said.

With that, Hurricane Rachel swept out the building, leaving Kurt and Blaine standing in her wake, facing each other in the lobby foyer.

“Um, well…” Blaine started, but Kurt put a hand on his arm.

“I'm so sorry,” Kurt said. “Please don't go. I want you to stay. Please, will you stay?”

Blaine looked at Kurt and gave a small nod, “Yes. Yes, of course. I'll stay for tonight at least. Can't let Rachel down.”

“Thank you,” Kurt breathed, looking monumentally relieved.