Blaines mood worsened as the weeks went on and there was still no sign of Kurt. Having the song left unfinished was a really upsetting feeling. Hed lost a lot of the motivation that he needed for his course and his teachers were a little disappointed in his progress though it wasnt anything too dangerous for his course at the moment. Hed been spending a lot of time just lazing around with the occasional evening where he went to The Hangout just in the hopes that Kurt would go back there. He was having no such luck.

He threw a lot of effort into spending time with Amy which she was quite enjoying. He never had so much sex in his life and while he loved the sex he wasnt as enthusiastic as he normally was. He felt like such a fool and he knew that he was being kind of stupid about this but he couldnt change the way he wrote music.

He was losing faith in all honesty. Laid in his room, staring up at the ceiling, he knew that he needed to get over this. He was acting like a weirdo. Rolling off of his bed and up onto his feet he grabbed his jacket and left his room. He closed the door behind him to start walking off down the hall but instantly crashed into someone, sending them sprawling to the floor.

"Ah, crap. Im sorry." Blaine said, helping the person he knocked down back onto their feet.

"No, its my fault. Thank you for helping me up."

Blaine paused as he took in the guy that he had helped up and he couldnt help the look of elation that came to his face. "Its you!" he exclaimed.

Kurt widen his eyes as he looked at the guy that he crashed into. "Me?"

"Yes, youre Kurt."

Kurt looked at Blaine strangely and then Blaine remembered that Kurt had no idea who he was. "My name is Blaine, um, Anderson. I heard you singing Blackbird and I thought you were amazing."

"Oh thank you." Kurt blushed. "So you live next door?" he asked motioning towards Blaine closed door.

"Umm, oh I guess I do." Well now Blaine felt stupid, he had been living next door to Kurt this whole time and he hadnt even known it. All his searching and hed been right under his nose.

"Well I have to go. Im meeting a friend. It was really nice meeting you though, Blaine." Kurt said, about to start on his way.

"Wait, Kurt? Would we be able to hang out sometime? I feel bad that we havent before now, especially as we live next door to each other." Blaine didnt want to seem desperate but he didnt want Kurt to just disappear on him again and this way at least hed be able to keep in contact with him.

"Im free tomorrow night after my dance class. We can hang out then. Around eight?"

"That sounds great. Ill knock on the door." Blaine smiled.

"Cool." Kurts eyes sparkled. "Well Ill see you later, Blaine." Kurt smiled at Blaine and then made his way out of the halls.

Blaine stood still for a moment, not quite believing what had taken place. Then he high-tailed it to Mercedes house where all his friends were having another movie night.

He rang the doorbell and brushed past Wes, who answered the door, straight into the living room where David, Sam and Mercedes were sat getting the movies out ready to pick which one.

"He lives next door to me." Blaine said without greeting anyone hello.

"Care to explain." David said completely clueless.

"Kurt. He lives in the room next to mine in the dorms. He been there the entire time!" Blaine enthused.

"Whoa. Seriously?" Sam asked a grin etching across his face. "Dude thats awesome!"

"I know right." Blaine rocked on his heels, not able to stay still.

"So you can finally finish your song, right?" Mercedes asked.

"Well, Ill need to talk to him about it. At the moment Im just a stranger who literally bashed into him and practically sent him flying. But I told him I saw him singing at the bar and weve agreed to meet up tomorrow after his dance class or something. I think Ill spend some time just getting to know him and then Ill approach him about it."

"Thats a good idea. Im glad youre using your head." Wes said, teasingly.

Blaine stuck his tongue out at his friend and then practically flung himself into his seat in Mercedes armchair. He was so unbelievably happy that after all this time, which had been a good few months, he had finally found Kurt and he could form a friendship with him. Gosh the thought made him giddy. He knew that he had been entirely too grouchy lately and he didnt know how his friends had put up with him. They were probably glad that hed finally made some progress with the whole thing.

"Oh Blaine, would you be able to ask Kurt why he hasnt been to the bar for a while. Tell him Im missing my conversation buddy." Sam smiled good-heartedly.

Blaine promised Sam that he would and then they focused on picking the movies of the night and grabbing all the snacks they would need. As the first movie started to play, Blaine relaxed into his seat and thought about the song that he had written and how he had almost given up on it completely. He was so glad that he hadnt and he couldnt wait to see if Kurt would agree to sing the lyrics.

XXXX

Kurt felt a little giddy after his long-awaited meeting with his neighbour. He couldnt believe that someone remembered him and his singing. Better yet they had liked his singing. Kurt couldnt deny that it was a real confidence boost.

Blaine had been kind of adorable, he had seemed a little unsure of himself and nervous. Kurt couldnt imagine how talking to him could make someone nervous but he wasnt one to judge. For all he knew Blaine could have an anxiety problem and Kurt wasnt one to judge. It wasnt like he was the most confident person in the world. Sometimes it could be quite the opposite,scratch that, most of the time.

Kurt briefly wondered if Blaine might be gay like himself but quickly stopped that train of thought. He didnt even want to begin dwelling on it. He didnt want to make a fool out of himself again like he had with Sam. That was definitely something that he didnt want to repeat.

Kurt shook the thoughts away from his head and put his mind back on to the task at hand. He and Santana were going out shopping because Santana had a date tonight with a girl called Dani and she wanted to look her best in a brand new outfit. Dani and Santana worked at the same diner and the uniform wasnt exactly the most flattering of outfits so Santana really wanted to wow Dani in a killer outfit.

She had reluctantly admitted to Kurt that she could do with his help on this one because while she was altogether fabulous, she needed a second opinion and when it came to fashion she trusted Kurt more than anybody else.

Kurt and Santana had become friends really quickly. At first it had been strange because Kurt wasnt used to the way that Santana was brutally honest which could sometimes be confused with rudeness, which is what Kurt had done at first. But Santana had explained it to him when he had looked particularly hurt at a statement that she had made by saying, "The only straight I am is straight-up bitch."

And that was just the kind of friend that Santana was and Kurt couldnt deny he really liked having her as a friend. It was kind of refreshing and she didnt have the same dreams as Kurt so the competition element wasnt there like it was with Rachel.

Rachel. He hadnt really talked to her in a long time. She had become pretty popular among the theatre people at NYU and had somehow managed to gain an entourage of people that seemed to worship the ground that she walked on. Something which Rachel had always wanted. The few things that she and Kurt had done together had seemed forced and it made Kurt sad to think that slowly but surely he was losing the person who had been his best friend. He knew that he often complained about her but when it really came down to it they were friends and Kurt would have her back. He had assumed that that would go both ways. Unfortunately he had been wrong. Now whenever Rachel saw Kurt she made it her business to tell him about all the amazing opportunities that she was getting and how amazing she had become since her time in college had begun. Shed always end her updates about herself by asking if Kurt had done anything of substance yet, which in truth he hadnt really.

Kurt was still trying to find his footing. New York was the place he was sure that he had been destined to shine in but the truth was he was a small town boy. He had hardly ever been out of Lima, let alone Ohio and New York was so much bigger than the town he had grown up in. It was scary to think just how different they were. Clearly he was still having a hard time getting used to the difference. He knew that eventually he would get there, no matter what it took. Itd probably take some more time but he was willing to bide his time, surviving until he had really gotten to grips with everything. Hed get there, thats what he had to keep telling himself.

"Oi, Porcelain. What do you think of this dress?" Santana broke Kurt out of his thoughts, motioning toward the dress that she had just put on in the changing rooms.

The dress was blue and hugged her curves nicely. It showed off some of her cleavage but not too much that it became tacky. Kurt fully approved of this dress and out of all of the others he liked this the most and he told Santana so.

"You really think this one is the best?" She asked Kurt unsure.

It was times like this that Kurt saw the other side of Santana. Yes she was a bitch most of the time and she had no problem cutting others down but when it came to herself she could be insecure sometimes. Of course she always covered it up with some witty retort or an insult to the other person but there were brief glimpses of a deeper side to this girl. And honestly that was why Kurt was her friend. She had a fragile side and that was the side that had probably wanted to befriend Kurt and he wasnt going to complain about that. He just wished that she could truly know how beautiful she really was.

"Im positive. I would never steer you wrong. Not when it comes to fashion. You looked incredible." Kurt said honestly.

"I do, dont I?" Santana said a smile flashed across her face and she made a duck face into the mirror. "Who can resist this? Apart from you obviously, gay face."

Santana smiled at Kurt and he didnt feel offence at her name knowing it was just the act.

"Well lets go and buy that thing!" Kurt said, happily.

He left Santana to get changed before they went over to the tills and brought the dress and some tall black heels to go with it.

They took their purchases and went to have lunch at a little restaurant. Both of them ordered a salad, both being constantly worried about their figure even though they didnt need to. They ate together and chatted about the new routines that they were learning in dance, both of them looking forward to more challenging moves and techniques. Kurt had certainly been getting better in the dancing department as Santana had made it her personal mission to get him up to speed. Her being an amazing dancer already made it easy for her to teach Kurt exactly what he should be doing and they always partnered together for any dances that required a pair. Because of Santana, Kurt was doing much better in his actual dance class at school and his teacher was impressed by his progress. They practised together a lot and she had managed to convince Kurt to take her out Salsa dancing which Kurt had never done before but was very much looking forward to attempting.

Kurt told Santana about his mistake with Sam at the bar and she had been sort of sympathetic. She laughed at him at first before realising that he was actually quite upset about it. She knew Sam from around and tried to assure Kurt that he was probably very oblivious to Kurts flirting and so Kurt didnt really have anything to worry about unless he still had a crush on him. Kurt was adamant that he didnt anymore. He had learnt his lesson after the whole situation with Finn and it wasnt like he was in love with Sam or anything. That would have been ridiculous.

Santana promised that one day they would both go to a gay bar together and Kurt had to admit he was looking forward to it. He had never been to a gay bar before. There was one in Lima called Scandals but it had nothing on the type of bars that New York held. Even foregoing the fact that Kurt was under-age he would never have felt safe going to Scandals, hed heard many stories about people being beaten up as they left it and Kurt didnt want that happening to him. Once again New York felt safer so Kurt felt that if he wanted to go to a gay bar then he wouldnt be harmed for it.

All in all, Kurt felt like maybe, just maybe he was beginning to find his place. Slowly but surely he would get there and he honestly couldnt wait.

XXXX

Blaine smoothed down his clothes anxiously as he waited for Kurt to answer his door. He briefly wondered whether Kurt had remembered and panicked for a second thinking that maybe Kurt hadnt really wanted to hang out with Blaine. Blaine wanted to hit himself for being so stupid. He was acting like an in love teenager, neither of which he was, not really.

Kurt answered the door after about a minute looking flushed. "Im so sorry. Can you give me a minute?" Kurt asked

"Sure." Blaine smiled at Kurt, his nerves felt like a knot in his chest.

Kurt quickly disappeared into his room and came out two minutes later looking a bit calmer.

"Sorry about that. Dance class really kicked my ass today."

"Dont even worry about it." Blaine reassured Kurt.

"So where are we going?" Kurt asked.

Blaine grinned towards him. "I thought we could grab a cup of coffee and take a walk around Central Park. It wont be a crowded because its getting late and it looks even more amazing at night."

"Sounds great." Kurt agreed readily to go. "I havent actually been to Central Park yet. I feel kinda bad."

"You are missing out my friend. Come on, lets get the subway."

The ride on the subway was good. Kurt and Blaine had to stand close together because even at this time of night the carriage was packed. A few times Blaine had to steady Kurt, reaching out his arms to grab the boy before he could fall over because Kurt still wasnt quite used to the subway and Blaine was like an old pro at balancing when it came to these situations.

The whole situation could have been awkward but fortunately things seemed natural between them. Sure both of them were nervous and both of them had different reasons for feeling that way but it felt easier to brush aside those nerves and just focus on getting to know one another. They didnt talk much on the subway and when they got to the coffee place they only made small talk which included Blaine asking what Kurts coffee order was so that he could buy him it.

Kurt felt giddy at the attention. No one had really treated him like he mattered so much before. It was a nice change even if it did confuse Kurt a bit. He didnt really have any clue who Blaine was and yet at the same time it was as if Kurt understood him.

They really began talking properly when they started to stroll through Central Park, both of them sipping their drinks which Blaine had bought. The air was chilly but not too bad, since it was October now. It was in fact still considerably warm for the month really and neither of the boys were complaining. Once they had wandered round for a bit they chose a bench to sit on and made themselves comfortable.

"So, tell me about yourself." Blaine said.

"Oh um. I dunno. What do you want to know?" Kurt asked awkwardly.

Blaine smiled reassuringly. "Who is Kurt Hummel?"

"I am." Kurt teased briefly. "No, no, okay. Im originally from Ohio and moved here to New York, which has always been my dream, in order to do the Musical Theatre course at NYU. Its always been a dream of mine to be on Broadway which is what Im aiming towards. Im, ah, gay." Kurt said the last part a bit quieter, always unsure of what peoples reactions will be.

"Cool. Okay I guess I should go." Blaine said, choosing not to make a big deal out of Kurts sexuality. It didnt really matter to him. He was all for equality. "Im from California, specifically Los Angeles. I moved to New York to study Musical Composition also at NYU. Im in my second year and I paid to stay in the halls rather than getting my own place because New York is expensive and all my friends had already arranged housing with others and I was late to the game. Plus the rooms arent too bad so why go elsewhere."

"And how are you finding your course? Ive always been intrigued by song writing. You have to be very talented to do it. I dont think Id ever be able to do it myself." Kurt said.

"Dont put yourself down. Im sure if you really put your mind to it youd be able to come up with something. As for my course its going well. Im top of my class. The only thing that holds me back is I need a specific mind-set to write anything which obviously doesnt always match up with what my lecturers want." Blaine laughed.

"Oh yeah. I bet that would be difficult." Kurt chuckled along with Blaine.

Their conversation continued over a range of topics, the both of them just getting to know one another. Kurt told Blaine all about his family and about his brother being in the army. Blaine in return told him about his own brother the famous Cooper Anderson and he saw the recognition on Kurts face at the name. He couldnt help but look a little stonily at Kurt when he said that Cooper was the best looking man in the whole of North American. That certainly hit an old jealousy of Blaines where it came to his brother.

Blaine didnt bring up the song that he had been writing. He worried that if he blurted out that hed written a song with Kurts voice in mind that he might scare of the boy and Blaine was really enjoying talking to him. It was kind of refreshing. He spent a lot of his time with his friends talking about sports or television shows and they didnt seem to be interested in the other things Blaine was interested in like fashion and music. Kurt loved talking about those things and boy did he have a lot to say about fashion. Blaine was in awe of some of the fashion choices that Kurt told him that he had worn during high school. He thought it was amazingly brave of Kurt to defy what was seen as normal. He knew Ohio wasnt that accepting of people like Kurt, Kurt didnt even need to explain that to him.

They continued to talk as they made their way back home and had to cut the conversation short when they arrived back at their rooms and saw what the time was. They exchanged numbers so that they could arrange another hang out.

As both of them went into their own rooms they had similar thoughts. The evening had been like a date and they had both really enjoyed it. Kurt couldnt help but blush at the thought of that. For Blaine however, it left him feeling pretty confused.