Chapter Fifteen

"I knew getting involved with those kinds of people would only lead to trouble," Finn stated forcefully.

"Please, Finn," Kurt uttered weakly. "Please, not now."

"But still," Finn argued, "I did warn you!"

"FINN!" Kurt exclaimed. He couldn't handle it any longer. He rose from the couch but in his flustered and bewildered state he couldn't decide where he wanted to run to. He just stood there completely lost and defeated, and not knowing what else to do, Kurt sank back down on the sofa and rested his head in his hands to try and attempt to hide his face from the world. Maybe if he couldn't see anyone, no one would be able to see him.

Mercedes stood before them her head going back and forth between the two. Blaine, Rachel and the other man whom Mercedes had never met before, had left over fifteen minutes ago, and still, neither Finn nor Kurt had been able to tell her what had happened. She put her arms on her hips desperate to know, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the arrogant talking stranger.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" she asked for what seemed like the tenth time since she had gotten home. "I really wish Santana remembered that she had my number earlier so I was home for all of this. What happened?"

But before anyone could begin to explain, the apartment's intercom buzzed loudly.

"What now?" Kurt muttered shaking his head. "It better not be any of them trying to get back in. I don't want to see any of them ever again."

Mercedes' frown deepened. That was the last thing she wanted to hear when one of the people Kurt was talking about included Blaine. Troubled, she pursed her lips and crossed the room to reach the front door.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Oh, urr. Hi. This is Kevin." There was a slight pause. "I was looking for Kurt."

Mercedes looked over her shoulder just in time to see Kurt's head snap up in surprise. Kevin was the last person he had expected to hear on the other end of the intercom. In fact, and he didn't mean any disrespect to the fellow, Kurt had all but forgotten that the man even existed after what had taken place over the past forty eight hours.

Kurt gazed at the front door dejectedly. After everything that had transpired, the last thing that he wanted to do was to face Kevin as well. All Kurt wanted to do was to go back to bed and forget the entire day. Heck! He wanted to forget his whole miserable life actually. But even if he had the luxury of doing so, he wouldn't be able to sleep. His mind was still in a whirlpool, spinning fast and out of control as he tried to make sense of everything that Sebastian had told him. He was desperate to find a loophole or a lie in the words that Sebastian had spoken, to make everything that he had said not so. But each and every time he tried to dismiss something, Rachel's words and guilty face brought him back home to the cold truth. Blaine had just used him for a 'weekend away' bit of fun.

"What do you want me to say?" Mercedes asked quietly jolting Kurt out of his musing.

Kurt sighed and rose to his feet. He needed to do the right thing, he needed to let Kevin know that even despite the failure that had occurred over the past two days, he was not interested.

Kurt answered the intercom and Kevin's voice came back loud and clear for the whole room to hear. "So urr, I kind of thought I'd take a leap," Kevin began. "You see, I met this really hot guy at bar a week ago and then we went on a date and everything went well, the date even ended in a really awesome romantic kiss. But then, I don't hear anything from the guy and I'm not usually one to be obsessive, but I thought I'd take a chance and stop by anyway."

Kurt rested his head on the front door and closed his eyes. Why did Kevin have to be such a nice guy? It was only going to make this worse.

After a long pause, Kurt finally spoke into the intercom, "I'll come down to you."

The sun was warm and friendly, not too hot like the day before but just right for a midmorning walk which was unusual considering the time of year. They walked silently and Kevin wondered just how he was going to broach a conversation with Kurt with the obvious thunderstorm hanging over his head. After several minutes, Kevin braved to speak asking random questions as mundane as the weather, and Kurt, as always, politely responded.

They came to a park one with old couples and mother and baby groups having picnics. They didn't walk too far into its grounds but stopped under the shade of a tree near the road and watched the different groups of people. Kurt's eyes were drawn to an old couple a short distance away.

The pair were sitting on a bench under another tree, still so much in love that even in their old age they held onto each other's hands. The woman smiled and laughed at some unheard joke, and the man, acknowledging her response tilted his head in her direction and offered a big toothy smile.

Kurt's stomach knotted in jealousy. He didn't think he would ever get to experience that kind of bond. Instead, he pondered with sadness, he would probably end up just like the grouchy old man at the bus stop who he often saw yelling abuse at the people walking by. Kurt's shoulders dropped; that's what he had to look forward to in life.

All of a sudden, Kurt was startled by the soft touch of Kevin's fingers clasping his hand. He held it close to his body, Kevin's touch gentle but purposeful. Kurt swallowed uncomfortably and he tried to pull away but his movement only made Kevin hold on tighter.

"No, please Kurt," he said earnestly. "I'm not trying to be creepy. I just want to talk really quickly." Kevin took a hesitant step closer. "I know we've only just met and I don't know anything about you, but I can sense that your mood doesn't have anything to do with me." Kevin searched Kurt's face, and seeing that he was right he continued, "I feel like something bad has happened to you."

Kurt looked to the ground unable to meet Kevin's gaze.

"I just want you to know that there's no pressure. You're really an awesome guy, Kurt and I had a fantastic time on our date the other night. So, I'm happy to be here as a friend if that's what you need right now. You can call me anytime," Kevin suggested, "even if it's to vent about this other man who has broken your heart."

Kurt's eyes rose quickly. Seriously, who was Kevin? He was so perceptive, so kind, and so patient.

"Really?" Kurt choked trying to hold onto the ache in the back of his throat and the sudden well of tears that had come up in his eyes. He gazed at Kevin's face and he had to wonder at what a future could hold with a man just like him, and then, Kurt's eyes shifted back to the old couple a short distance away. He imagined a simple, easy future, one that was filled with companionship, loyalty and fun. Yes, Kevin wouldn't be the kind of guy to run off, to string him along and use him. Kevin was the kind of guy who would be in it for the long haul.

Their eyes locked and Kevin smiled shyly, and then, on impulse without even giving it a nanosecond to consider what he was about to do, Kurt leaned in and placed his lips onto Kevin's.

He startled Kevin, there was no doubt about that, but Kevin didn't pull away and instead he only took one step closer to allow Kurt to work his way into the kiss.

Kurt was shocked with himself, shocked that he had just kissed Kevin and was still kissing him! But he was angry, so very angry he realized. The pain and anguish that had overwhelmed him had suddenly been replaced with a burning fire upon the realization of what Blaine had done to him. Kurt wanted to hurt Blaine, just like Blaine had hurt him. He wanted to show Blaine that he hadn't meant that much to him after all, that Blaine didn't mean a thing, and Kurt, well Kurt was just like Blaine, easy and capable of flitting from one lover to another. Yes, if Blaine was going back to Sebastian, then Kurt could easily move on to Kevin.

He tried to lose himself in the kiss, tried to lose him in Kevin's touch as Kevin's hands began to stroke up his back, but then the truth really sank in and try as he might, Kurt couldn't let go. It didn't work. Although Kevin was an exceptional kisser, the same raw passion and fire that had existed between Blaine and Kurt just wasn't there.

Kurt couldn't lie to himself.

Despite all the anger and pain that consumed him, there in the corner of his soul was another burning, longing desire that was breaking through all of those other spiteful feelings. It reminded Kurt of how much he wanted Blaine. How much he loved those eyes, his sense of humor, his passion and his different sides. Kurt couldn't fathom what would lead Blaine to stoop so low that he would be involved with Sebastian but there was one thing Kurt did know: This wasn't him.

In fact, who was he trying to kid? He couldn't just jump from one person to another. He wasn't built that way. It was Blaine he wanted. His heart was tied to Blaine, and even though it looked like his relationship with Blaine had reached a dead end, there wasn't room for anyone else, not now, not for a long time. Blaine filled up every last millimeter, and as much as Kevin was also a perfect guy, he wasn't the perfect guy for Kurt.

There in the middle of the kiss Kurt came to a conclusion, no matter what had happened with Sebastian today and despite everything that Rachel had said, he would still try to speak to Blaine so he could find out where they really stood.

Kurt pulled away, easing himself slowly out of the kiss, and removed his hands off of Kevin's waist. He hadn't even realized that they had been there.

"Kevin..." Kurt couldn't continue he was struggling with the emotions running through him.

Kevin smiled, his face filled with understanding. "I know, I know," he spoke softly. "Go figure out what you need to figure out," he lifted his hand and cupped Kurt's face to encourage Kurt to look him in the eyes. "Go get over whoever it is that you need to get over, I'll be waiting for you. You've got my number." Kurt tried to smile appreciatively, but instead, he was forced to blink back several tears. "Come on, I'll walk you home," Kevin told him gently.

They turned and headed back in the direction of his apartment building, Kevin placing a gentle but firm and reassuring hand on his back.

Kurt was so lost in the moment still trying to figure out what was going on inside his head that he didn't even notice when they walked straight past a black car parked on the side of the road. Not that it would have mattered because he wouldn't be able to see inside - its windows were tinted so dark it was remarkable that they were legal.

Hunter Clarington hummed to himself as he watched the video he had just recorded of Kurt kissing Kevin. "Got ya!" he smiled to himself. "Come on," he called to the driver in the front. "We'll follow them for a bit and see if we can get anything else, but I don't think anything we'll beat that." He chuckled to himself. "That was good. Sebastian's going to be very happy. We got him good."

Hunter took several more photos of the pair, Kevin's hand still at Kurt's back, and then it got even better as Kevin disappeared into Kurt's apartment building to walk him safely to his door. Hunter swiped through the additional photographs he had just taken. Perfect!

The extravagant bar and restaurant at The Ritz Carlton in Los Angeles was the perfect place for an expensive and lavish lunch. It boasted an elaborate lifestyle and delicious food that it could live up to. Not only was its food the talk of the town but its elaborate European style architecture and ideal perch on the marina made it a very attractive place for holidaymakers and business people alike.

The restaurant buzzed around Blaine as it began to fill for the midday meal. The jolly ambience, however, was not going to rub off on him. They had been waiting for nearly an hour but the representatives from the record company Blaine belonged to still hadn't turned up. He had pegged so much hope on this meeting believing that he was finally going to be able to have more control of his career.

Sebastian eyed his nervous disposition, flashed him a smile and waved to a waiter that was passing by.

"A bottle of your house white," he ordered not even bothering to enquire what it was. He turned his attention back to Blaine. "I think you could do with a little something."

Blaine shook his head. "No, I'm going to keep everything absolutely clear today. I'm going to get this right."

Sebastian nodded and they waited out the time in silence until the bottle arrived, but Sebastian still had the gumption to stare and leer at different men around the restaurant. Blaine grinded his teeth, Sebastian's all too casual manner irking him so badly, he just wanted to lean over the table and shake some sense into the man. Didn't he realize how much this meant to him? But then, Blaine chided himself, Sebastian had never been in favor of this path.

Sebastian suddenly rose to his feet, his phone ringing in his hand. He flashed Blaine a reassuring smile, brought it to his ear, and left the table.

Blaine watched on as Sebastian walked through the restaurant's exquisite décor trying to find a quiet spot so he could listen to the person who had called. The waiter returned and two glasses of wine were poured, but Blaine barely noticed, only giving the waiter a quick nod to acknowledge his presence. His eyes were poised on Sebastian trying to analyze and determine what was being said in the conversation by body language alone.

Sebastian frowned as he ended the call and Blaine's mind filled with anguish.

"Let me guess," he growled as Sebastian returned to his chair, "they're not coming."

Sebastian shook his head, "I'm sorry Blaine. They said that something else has come up, something more important," Sebastian paused quickly as he saw Blaine's face darken. "It was something they said they couldn't get out of," he added quietly.

Blaine leaned back in his chair trying to reign in the anger that was threatening to overwhelm him. He had wasted the whole morning when he could have been back home at Kurt's, lying all day in his bed making love to the man. Blaine almost laughed to himself. He had just thought 'home'. He had just put Kurt and home into the same sentence placing them together, and the surprising thing was, Blaine absolutely loved the sound of it.

He glowered at Sebastian and Blaine had to wonder all of a sudden at what had happened when he had been in the shower and why Kurt had appeared to have been so distant when he had left. His eyes narrowed as he became more suspicious. "Have they rescheduled?" he enquired trying to keep his voice carefree.

Sebastian couldn't meet his gaze, and instead, he reached out for the glass of wine in front of him. He didn't need to be too concerned however, because before he had time to come up with more information for Blaine, Hunter ambled over to their table.

Blaine's face went up in surprise. "What's he doing here?" he asked. "How did he know where to find us?"

Sebastian sat forward, his expression serious, "I decided to invite him." He glanced at Hunter and they shared a knowing nod. "Hunter contacted me about an hour ago, just something really random that he came across."

Hunter leaned over the table holding out the camera he had used to watch Kurt towards Blaine.

Blaine gazed at it warily.

"Just take it and watch it," Sebastian advised him firmly.

Blaine sighed. He reached out and took the camera, confused and uneasy about what was taking place. Not wanting to waste any more time trying to fathom what was going on, Blaine pressed play and immediately the sense of security and direction that he had been feeling since the moment he had laid his eyes back on Kurt began to crumble away.

Blaine watched the video of Kurt kissing Kevin three times, horror succumbing him into silence. It hadn't just been a peck of a kiss, it had been a long and searching kiss that Kurt had initiated, where he had held the other man and let the other man touch him.

Blaine's mind spun out of control. Who was this other person? They looked so familiar with each other, so casual as if they had known each other for a considerable amount of time. But Kurt had been adamant that he hadn't been in a relationship with anyone else before Blaine, the only other significant relationship being his fallen love in New York. Throughout the whole weekend, Kurt had never mentioned another person who could be a part of his life, let alone someone he was eagerly ready to make out with in the open in the middle of a park.

"I'm sorry, Blaine," Sebastian spoke quietly over the din of the restaurant. "He was just using you, just trying to get his one minute bit of fame."

"No!" Blaine exclaimed shaking his head. He couldn't believe it. Kurt would never do anything like that. "When was this taken?"

Sebastian sighed and shook his head as if the information he was about to bare was the worst bit of news that he would ever have to share with someone. "It was taken two hours ago, just after we left his apartment."

Blaine's hands clenched into fists and he went into denial. It couldn't be true, and as if he hadn't inflicted enough pain on himself already, Blaine pressed play and watched the whole video play out again.

"There's more," Hunter announced. "There are photos too."

Blaine quickly flicked through the photos that Hunter had also captured, beads of sweat prickling through his brow as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. The way they walked close together, the way that this stranger placed such a possessive hand on Kurt's back, the way the camera had caught Kurt smiling just before he led the man into his apartment building. And then, that was it, there were no more photos and Blaine was left with only his imagination of what had taken place once they had entered his home. Were they fucking right now, right in spot where Blaine had just been on the bed?

He wanted to hit something. He wanted to hurt somebody. Nothing Kurt had told him over the weekend had been true. It was simple. Kurt had lied to him. He had said that no one else had even been considered that he hadn't even known he was ready for a relationship until Blaine had come along. But it had all been lies, all of it.

"It looks like this Kurt guy was lying to you about his relationship status all along," Hunter sassed.

"You have to be more careful, Blaine. You can't trust anyone," Sebastian added. "They're not in it for you. Kurt doesn't really care about you. You explained to me in the limo that he had been treated badly in a relationship before but was now ready for a relationship with you. Obviously that's not true for there he is with another man."

Their heads all went up as they became aware of another presence at their table.

"You're late," Sebastian spat up at Rachel. She was standing over them looking confused.

"I'm not," she replied shortly but she still glanced at her watch worriedly. "You told me one o'clock."

"I said twelve thirty."

Rachel tried to deflect him away with a wave of her hand and she gazed at the camera in Blaine's hands apprehensively. "What's going on?" she asked taking the last seat.

"Rachel, did you know about this guy?" Blaine blurted, holding the camera over for her to see.

She watched the video in confusion, and then, when she processed what she was seeing her eyes went wide. Her photographic memory recognized Kevin as the man who had approached Kurt in the bar, but she had been sure when she had seen him this mysterious man had only just met Kurt.

But then she felt like hitting herself. What was she to know? She hadn't heard their conversations. She didn't know if they had met before or whether they had been old friends or, she swallowed regrettably, old lovers. She tried to clear some of the haze from that day, trying to determine whether her instincts had been wrong, but she had gotten so drunk, what did she really remember?

"I, I have seen him before," she whispered laying the camera down on the table, her hands shaking.

Blaine's face dropped and he suddenly leaned forward. "How could you Rachel? What were you playing at? Trying to mess with me like that?"

"It wasn't like that at all Blaine," Rachel gasped. "You know that. You and Kurt hit it off right from the moment you laid eyes on each other, I did everything in my power to try and bring the two of you together."

"Yes, and look where that's gotten him," Sebastian added slyly. He glared at her loathingly. "Look all we can do is move on from here. We've made our mistakes but it's time now to get Blaine back down to business and to get him focused."

"How can you be so cold?" Rachel gasped. "Blaine is obviously hurt and upset."

"And who is to blame for that?" Sebastian hissed.

Rachel lowered her head.

Sebastian continued, taking full control of the conversation, "I've told Blaine before that he shouldn't trust outsiders, especially those who are not celebrities. Sure they're fine to hook up with and have a one night fling, but anything else is a no. I mean, come on, what do we really know about this Kurt guy? He could have spun you a whole web of deception and you would never know, and that," he paused dramatically, "is just what's he's done. And do you want me to get started on this other man, his boyfriend from all appearances?"

"But Sebastian, come on," Rachel begged, "shouldn't we at least give Kurt the benefit of the doubt, let him try to explain?"

"Enough!" Sebastian cut her off with his sharp bark that was loud enough to make several heads close to their table turn in surprise. "As I just said, the most important thing that we do now is get Blaine back on track and forget that this whole entire weekend ever happened. We move forward." Sebastian turned to face her finally having had enough. "And I think the first move is for you to leave and don't come back."

"What?!" Rachel gasped and froze, horrified that he meant just what she thought he meant. "What the hell are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything," Sebastian stated smugly with his hands deep in his pockets. "I'm telling you that you're done here. You're finished."

"You're firing me?!" Fury and shock filled Rachel's face. "How dare you! You have no right."

"As Blaine's manager I have every right. I might not be able to stop you from being Blaine's friend but I can stop you from destroying his career." Sebastian gave her a disgusted look. "Obviously you have been distracted, you guided him away when he had events this weekend, he messed with an outsider who obviously had no true intentions, you hooked up with some low life yourself, and you're late. You clearly have an inability to commit to your job. Your unprofessionalism is blatantly clear, Rachel. I can't have someone who doesn't have Blaine's best interest at heart working so closely with him."

Rachel was reaching her hysterical point. "Are you kidding me? Everything I have ever done has been in Blaine's best interest. Blaine!" she cried, quickly turning in her seat to face him. "Please let me explain. I need to tell you what Seb..."

"You should go," Blaine said quietly but so venomously Rachel stopped in her tracks. "You've messed up, Rachel. You've messed up big time."

"I tried to help you!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "And I'm trying to tell you what happened this morning..."

"No Rachel," Blaine argued forcefully. "You should leave, now! You led me to believe, I thought... I thought I was going to be happy."

Rachel turned to Sebastian ready to retaliate, "You might be able to stop me from working with him but I'll always be a part of Blaine's life."

Neither man answered her and a silent pause fell on their group, but even in that desperate silence no one in their small party realized that the restaurant around them had now fallen quiet at the spectacle they were putting on.

"Well, maybe it's best if we did take a break," Blaine whispered.

Rachel's eyes bulged in shock. She was unable to speak after that. The only thing she could do was rise from her chair, politely push it in and leave. And leave she did, stalking her way across the restaurant floor with her held high, ignoring the curious diners who tried to discreetly look her way.

Rachel sniffled and fumbled with her belongings as she rushed to the entrance of the hotel. How had everything gone so wrong? She had no idea what she was going to do or where she was going to go.

Blaine watched her leave, the anger within him finally reaching its boiling point. He stood up and threw the camera at the wall not caring for one second that it wasn't his. It smashed from the force of his throw and left a deep dent in the surface of the wall. If the restaurant before had been quiet, now a penny could have been dropped and the entire room would have heard as everyone's eyes fell to either Blaine or the camera that now lay in several pieces on the tiles a few meters away.

Blaine's face was red. "What are you all staring at?" he yelled and the pause suddenly ended as people quickly turned back to their tables not wanting to be at the receiving end of Blaine's wrath.

"I'm sorry Blaine," Sebastian said placing a gentle hand on his arm, urging him to sit back down. "We should eat something."

Blaine scoffed. As if he could eat anything now. "You're going to try and set this meeting up again aren't you? Get the producers back in here," he asked roughly.

"Sure, Blaine, sure," Sebastian answered distractedly as he tried to get the attention of a waiter.

But Blaine had heard enough. He now believed that there was never going to be a meeting. He pushed back from the table knocking his chair over in the process and stormed towards the bar. "Double whisky on the rocks," they heard him order.

"Let him go," Hunter advised Sebastian who had already started to stand to go after him. "Let him brood over it but don't worry," he assured with a satisfied nod. "It's over. Blaine will now focus on his job. You've got the guy out of the way and the loud broad out of the picture. Blaine's success is guaranteed once again."

Sebastian nodded, the smug expression returning to his face.

Blaine leaned heavily onto the bar, both hands gripping the edge. He was holding on for dear life, afraid that if he let go he would fly off the rails again. He hadn't felt so grounded and whole as he had when he had been with Kurt. He had put everything into that weekend, opening up like he had never before and what had Kurt done to him. Lied! Lied! Lied! Kurt had lied to him about his true intentions. Those pictures of Kurt kissing, they weren't fake. And no matter how Blaine tried, he couldn't get the images of Kurt standing under the tree, the other man holding him intimately at the waist, the way he had touched Kurt's face.

It was over. There was nothing he could do about it. Blaine had been played and he feared deep down that in the game of love, he would never win.

Blaine let one hand off the bar and he clasped his fingers around the glass now before him. He knocked back the drink, crunching viciously on some ice that had managed to get into his mouth. "Another!" he demanded gruffly to the barman. "No ice this time."

The man didn't answer but promptly poured another. Blaine picked up the second drink and knocked it back as well, his lips pulling up as he gasped against the burn of the alcohol. He tapped the bar aggressively implying, yet again, another drink, and as the barman poured the third, Blaine let go of the bar and let himself fall, fall into that blissful ignorance that only alcohol could grant him. He fell to that place where he didn't have to think, where he wouldn't hurt and where he could be that obnoxious wild bad boy that he so loved to be. But now, today, it seemed that place was empty as well.

Mercedes tried to think logically. Finn had already arrived at his conclusion and it wasn't a good one so it was up to her to be positive, logical and of course supportive for Kurt's sake. She had listened patiently to everything that had taken place over the weekend, had frowned at Finn's presence when she had tactfully left the apartment to give the boys their space and smiled at the love that she saw gleaming from Kurt's face while he recalled his adventures. Now however, she brooded, her face clouded over as she considered what Sebastian had unleashed upon them all.

"I still feel very hesitant to write Blaine off so easily, Kurt," she began after an excruciating amount of time. "I mean, you've only heard Sebastian's side of it. You haven't heard what Blaine has to say."

Kurt nodded his head eagerly. "That's what I thought. You don't think I'll sound too eager and desperate if I sent him a message or tried to call him?"

"No, of course not," Mercedes assured him. "Do it now. Do it so you can put your mind to rest."

Kurt gazed at his phone that was on the table. She was right, it was best to get this over and done with and not wallow in any unnecessary pain. Oh, how he hoped it was unnecessary pain.

He tried calling first but Blaine's phone rang out. After the second try, Kurt really didn't think he should call again. He sat for a moment carefully piecing together a suitable message, and with Mercedes' approval at what he had written, he pressed send.

Sebastian had watched as Hunter joined Blaine a short time later, the pair becoming more loud and unbearable as the minutes ticked by. It couldn't have gone better if he had tried. Everything that he could have hoped for had fallen into place, and not only had he managed to lose Kurt, but he had also gotten rid of Rachel. Finally!

Blaine's phone vibrated on the table and he picked it up tapping Blaine's password in quickly. He frowned as he saw the message from Kurt. Well, he had thought he had gotten Kurt out of the picture, he mused.

"I don't care about what Sebastian told me, that the both of you are still involved. The weekend we spent together was the best weekend that I've ever had with anyone. If you want to talk, I'm here."

Sebastian pursed his lips and without any hesitation he glided his finger over to reply to the message.

"I made a mistake. I didn't mean anything that I said. Thanks for the fuck but that's all it was, a fuck, and not even a good one at that."

Sebastian pressed send and then quickly hit delete. Kurt's original message was gone.

Kurt stared at the message in disbelief, his fingers became limp and his phone fell to the floor.

"What?" Mercedes gasped. "What's wrong?"

She lent down, picked up the phone and gasped as she read the message. "What the hell? Kurt?" She leaned towards him and draped her arm around his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Kurt tried, he tried all he could to keep it together. He shook his head in anger at Blaine, at himself and at the whole world but nothing could stop the tears that had built up in his eyes. Mercedes watched on, unsure of what to do or what to say until Kurt crumpled into her grabbing hold of one of the fluff pillows and her waist where he proceeded to break down with loud wrenching sobs that echoed around their living room.

Mercedes rocked him gently. "I'm so sorry Kurt, I'm so sorry. Shhh. It'll be alright. It'll be alright." But even Mercedes wasn't too sure now.

The sharp frantic knocks on Finn's door startled him out of his sleep. He lay confused for a moment wondering at who had dared to disturb his dreams, but when he didn't answer the door, the frantic knocks turned into loud banging instead. He sat up and eyed his door warily knowing that he had interesting neighbors, and hoped that whoever it was, they would just give up and go away.

The knocking, however, didn't subside.

Finn groaned, rolled off his mattress and clambered to his feet.

Disheveled he finally managed to make it to his door, which wasn't really that hard since he lived in a studio apartment. Finn gazed through his peep hole and pulled back in surprise. In all his life he had never expected to find the person who was standing on the other side of the threshold.

Rachel stared up at him, her eyes red and puffy tears still streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed after he had opened the door. "I know I'm the last person that you want to see after what happened, but," she cried, tears falling onto her clothes, "I didn't know where else to go."

Finn was silent for a moment but then he quickly recovered from his shock after Rachel gave another woeful gulp. "It's fine. It's fine. Are you alright?"

She stepped past him and entered his flat before he could even invite her in. Still dumbstruck he stood there, unsure of what he should do but when it looked like Rachel had no intention of leaving, he closed the door behind her. Finn swallowed nervously, immediately drowning in shame at the state and size of his small apartment.

Rachel gazed around the small room and sniffled, "This is where you live?"

Finn flushed red, "Yeah."

Rachel spun in a slow circle taking in the one wall that held the kitchen and the opposite wall where his mattress lay on the ground. "It's small," she told him politely.

Finn laughed a loud, long laugh that showed his beautiful nature. He ruffled his hand through his hair. "Yeah, you could say that. It is small." He took a step closer, and when he spoke again, his voice was filled with genuine concern. "You didn't answer me. Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?"

Rachel suddenly remembered why she had turned up at his home in the first place and she started to sob again. She took a step forward, rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I tried, I tried so hard but I ruined it for Kurt and Blaine, and, and he fired me."

Finn's arms hesitantly came up to hold her and one of his hands gently patted her back. "Blaine fired you?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, Sebastian."

Rachel suddenly turned away and without waiting for another invitation she sat, quickly dropping herself onto the mattress and tangled up sheets of Finn's bed.

Finn, sensing her need to get everything off her chest, poured her a glass of water and returned to the mattress where he settled down beside her not bothered in the least that he was still only his boxers and shirt.

Rachel snuggled up into the crook of his arm and chest and began to recount everything that had taken place over the past day. Finn listened, not just because he was being polite but because even in that one day, Rachel had managed to find a place in his heart. It wasn't just that though, all of this had implications for Kurt too.

Finally, when Rachel was finished talking, Finn still didn't like Blaine and he still didn't think that he was the guy for Kurt (the man was just too much trouble for his own good) but, he believed Rachel. He believed that she was telling the truth, that she believed that Blaine and Sebastian hadn't been together for a long time and she believed that Blaine was really searching for his one true love. And, despite everything that had gone wrong, she had only been acting with Blaine and Kurt's best interests at heart.

But it still didn't refute the fact that Sebastian had come in and said all those things to Kurt, and most importantly, there was Blaine's text. It was something that was below anything that Finn could possibly do. Not being the best romantic at heart, even Finn could see how much the pair had swooned over each other during the past couple of days, so how could Blaine say such things.

Of course, Finn could understand Blaine's confusion with Kurt kissing Kevin, because yes, that really had come out of the blue. Kurt hadn't mentioned doing that, and without seeing the video for himself, Finn wasn't completely ready to believe it. But, Finn decided, if Kurt had kissed Kevin like Rachel described, well, Finn just had to believe that Kurt's heart wasn't really that tied to Blaine's after all.

In the end, Finn believed that everything that had played out that day had all been one long unfortunate collection of events and Sebastian, Sebastian was to be blamed for initiating it.

But really, it was for the best. Finn could not see a positive or happy future for Kurt if he did get involved in a serious relationship with Blaine. The guy was bad news. Finn considered the police arrests, the short stints behind bars, the wild stories and obnoxious illegal behavior that the paparazzi had leaked. Those stories had to of come from somewhere. If Kurt had some little inkling of interest in Kevin, then Finn was happy for Kurt to pursue it. Yes, the whole video debacle was going to be kept a secret for the time being.

"I think," Finn paused not wanting his next words to come out the wrong way. "I think we need to stay quiet about the video just for the moment."

Rachel's eyes flashed up in surprise. "What?!"

"Kurt's a wreck, and when he gets this emotional, he shuts down and puts up a wall. His wears his anger like an invincible shield. No matter what either of us could say to him right now he wouldn't listen." Finn gathered her hand within his and let his fingers play softly in her open palm. "It's the only reason why I left his place. He's hurting, but right now, he won't let anyone in. When he calms down we can tell him. I think if we told him that Blaine saw him kissing Kevin, it would tip him over the edge."

Rachel chewed her lip. She could understand Finn's deep desire to protect his brother and she guessed that Finn was still very dubious and reluctant towards Blaine, but she had never been one to lie or withhold information if she believed it to be of the upmost importance. She would sit on it for a day or two as well and then approach Blaine, because really, the best person to talk to Kurt would be Blaine. Sebastian might have fired her and Blaine might be mad at her, but her relationship with Blaine was one that she could fix, that she was sure of.

Rachel suddenly realized that Finn was staring, his eyes studying her as she contemplated her own thoughts. His gaze was kind, supportive and tender, but the sudden intimacy in his hold was unnerving and it forced her to take stock of her situation. She squirmed uncomfortably and looked at him then, shyly all of a sudden, recalling that she had in fact stormed into his apartment, in the middle of the night and was now sitting beside him, on his bed while he was in his underwear. She had definitely seen him with a lot less clothes the night before, but that had been under the influence of one too many plastic cups of beer, and this, this seemed more intimate. "I'm sorry for just bursting in here. I just wanted someone to talk to and I didn't want to go home but maybe I should leave."

"Hey, hey, it's fine," Finn comforted her. "I'm glad you came, really." His hand continued to stroke up and down her back. "How did you even find me though?"

"Mercedes," she sniffled.

"Oh, Mercedes."

"She wouldn't let me see Kurt," Rachel began to cry again, "but she's a good person, she told me where I could find you."

A silence hung in the air again for a couple of moments.

"You really do live in an unusual apartment Finn," Rachel spoke suddenly changing the conversation entirely. "Is this really all you could find?" It wasn't Rachel being rude she was just generally amazed that such a large man could live in such a confined space.

"It was all I could find on short notice," Finn replied. "After I left the Army and came to LA, I stayed with Mercedes and Kurt but, you know, their apartment isn't that big either and I couldn't just live in their lounge."

"But you're there practically all the time anyway," Rachel told him confused.

Finn laughed again, "Yeah you're right." And then Finn found a surge of confidence that he didn't know he had. "But, if I didn't have my own place I wouldn't be able to ask you if you wanted to stay the night."

Rachel turned her head and looked him straight in the eyes. The night before had been a drunken hook up, but tonight, it would be different. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," she told him with so much conviction she surprised even herself.

Finn's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't believe she had said yes, slowly, ever so slowly he leaned down and just before he placed his lips against hers he whispered, "Then don't be."