The Only Exception (Lonely No More)

Chapter 14

“Why don’t you just call him?” Jeff asked Blaine as they waited for Nick to bring the next round of drinks. They both winced as the current karaoke singer hit another bad note, not that she’d managed to hit too many good ones so far.

“And say what?” Blaine asked. He was beginning to regret telling his friends that he’d seen Sebastian. Jeff kept trying to find ways for them to have a ‘happily ever after’ while Nick had cast Sebastian as the villain and his suggestions ran accordingly.

“Don’t you want to see him?” Jeff asked as if that were incomprehensible.

“Nothing has changed,” Blaine said, for what he felt like was the hundredth time. “Why put ourselves through that again? It hurt enough the first time.”

“Nick and I weren’t going to be going the same college when we first got together,” Jeff reminded Blaine, “but we worked it out so we could.”

“That’s great for you,” Blaine said, sincerely glad that his friends were happily together. “You had both applied to USC though, it just wasn’t your first choice. As far as I know, Sebastian didn’t get in any school anywhere near New York.”

Jeff squirmed in his seat, obviously holding something back. Blaine wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was.

“You get Jeff straightened out yet?” Nick said as he slid into the seat beside his boyfriend. “I keep telling him Sebastian is a lost cause. If he really wants to help, he should set you up with someone that won’t turn out to be an asshole.”

“Sebastian isn’t an asshole,” Blaine said, only slightly irritated. Nick wasn’t going to pass up a chance to put his rival in the worst light.

“Yeah, then why didn’t he tell you he was coming to LA for the summer?” Nick asked. “He could have spent a week in Paris to appease his mother and then met you out here.”

After seeing Sebastian at Disneyland, Blaine had wondered the same thing, but it wasn’t worth dwelling on. “It doesn’t matter. It would have ended the same, just a few weeks later.”

“You don’t even want to know why he’s here?” Nick asked. Jeff elbowed Nick and gave him a warning look.

Blaine could see that Nick wanted to say something that Jeff didn’t want him to say. Did he really want to know what it was?

“So, what are your plans?” Jeff asked, changing the subject. “Still going to NYADA?”

Blaine shrugged. “It’s either that or bum around for a year and hope I get in somewhere next year.”

“Of course you’ll get in somewhere. And you have a job, so you’re not exactly bumming,” Jeff said.

“You sound like Cooper,” Blaine said with a forced laugh. “He keeps coming up with reasons for me to stay. I think he’s taking this brother-bonding thing a little too seriously.”

“If you don’t want to live with your brother, you could move in with us,” Jeff offered. “We have two bedrooms and, uh, I doubt we will be using them both.”

“At least, not as bedrooms,” Nick said with a smirk.

Jeff ducked his head with an embarrassed smile.

“Thanks, but Cooper’s actually a decent roommate,” Blaine said. “At least, until he remembers that he’s the ‘big brother’. He can drive me crazy with his ridiculous advice.” Rather like a couple of friends of his, but he kept that to himself.

They talked about their various experiences in the city and Blaine had to admit, at least to himself, that having his friends here was a plus in the ‘reasons to stay’ column. Every time he tried to convince himself to stay though, he heard his father’s voice telling him how irresponsible it was to turn down a scholarship to a good school to work at an amusement park. Of course, his dad didn’t think too much of Cooper’s life choices either, but seemed to have given up on changing his oldest son.

After Jeff excused himself to go the bathroom, Blaine’s curiosity finally got the better of him despite his misgivings. “So, what is it that Jeff doesn’t want you to tell me?” he asked Nick.

Nick grinned wryly. “Picked up on that, did you?”

“He’s worse than me at hiding what he’s feeling,” Blaine said.

“You sure you want to hear this? You aren’t going to like it,” Nick said. “It’s about Sebastian and why he’s in LA.”

Blaine took a deep breath before nodding. He probably didn’t want to know, but he couldn’t let it go now.

“Just don’t tell Jeff where you heard it,” Nick said.

“Just tell me,” Blaine prompted before he lost his nerve.

“You know how Dalton posts where everyone is going to college before graduation?”

Blaine nodded again with a sinking feeling. He’d never asked Sebastian where he was going to school. He’d always assumed Sebastian would tell him if it were somewhere close to where he was going.

“Sebastian made it on the UCLA Lacrosse team. He’ll be moving into the dorms at the end of the month,” Nick said.

Blaine’s heart skipped a few beats and his throat felt tight. In all their time together, Sebastian hadn’t said anything about going to school in LA.

“I know you really liked the guy, but I just don’t think he’s relationship material,” Nick said, almost gently. “He probably never planned for it to go past graduation.”

Blaine swallowed hard. He couldn’t help but wonder how true that was. He wouldn’t have believed it when they were together, but now? Maybe Sebastian had only agreed to be together because he knew there was a time limit on it. He certainly didn’t seem inclined to contact Blaine now that they were in the same city again.

Jeff rejoined them and it only took one glance for him to figure out what they’d been talking about. “You told him,” Jeff accused Nick.

“He asked,” Nick said in his defense. “You want me to lie?”

Jeff scowled at Nick before turning to Blaine in concern. “Don’t listen to Nick. You know he and Sebastian have never gotten along.”

“That doesn’t change facts,” Blaine said. “Sebastian knew I was coming to LA for the summer. If I’d know that he was going to school here…”

“What would you have done differently?” Jeff asked.

Blaine wasn’t sure. It certainly would make it more difficult to leave LA if he and Sebastian were still together. Not that it mattered now. “Guess we’ll never know.”

 

~ * ~
 

“He’s not coming,” Nick said in exasperation. He couldn’t stand Jeff’s disappointed look as yet another customer that wasn’t Sebastian walked into the coffee house.

“He’s only five minutes late,” Jeff said. “He’ll be here.”

“Want to bet on it?” Nick asked in an attempt to distract his boyfriend.

“What did you have in mind?” Jeff asked, slightly amused.

“When Smyth doesn’t show, we go back to the apartment and you do whatever I want for the rest of the afternoon,” Nick said suggestively.

“And when he does show?” Jeff asked.

“I’ll do whatever you want,” Nick said, waggling his eyebrows.

“We wait at least half an hour,” Jeff said.

Nick sighed, confident that Sebastian wanted nothing to do with them. He glanced at his watch. “Fine, but we’re out of here in 23 minutes.”

“Maybe you could get us a refill while we wait,” Jeff suggested. “And a brownie,” he added as an afterthought.

Nick chuckled fondly at his boyfriend and his sweet-tooth, but did as he was asked. He was picking up their drinks when Sebastian finally decided to put in an appearance. “Took you long enough,” Nick growled at his former classmate. He was only slightly disappointed about the bet; either way, he’d enjoy it.

“Traffic was a bitch,” Sebastian replied, unconcerned. “Coffee any good here?”

“Palatable,” Nick replied, not interested in encouraging Sebastian in any way. “Feel free to find someplace else to frequent.”

Sebastian actually grinned at him, rather evilly though. “So glad to see some things never change, Duval.”

“I’m not as nice as I used to be,” Nick warned with a smile of his own.

“Nick, you promised to behave,” Jeff said, joining them at the counter in time to hear Nick’s comment.

“Did Sterling promise to give your balls back if you were a good boy?” Sebastian asked with a smirk.

Nick really didn’t see what Blaine could possibly see in this guy, but he had promised Jeff. “Boyfriends do things for each other, something you wouldn’t understand,” Nick replied. “We’ll be at the table if you want to join us.” He pulled Jeff away before he said something he really would regret, if only because Jeff wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.

“Maybe you should let me do the talking,” Jeff suggested as they sat back down. He took a bite of his brownie and smiled at Nick in appreciation. “He says stuff like that just to yank your chain.”

Nick knew that, but knowing he was being baited didn’t stop him from fighting back. “Do I get a reward if I’m a good boy?” he asked with a suggestive grin.

“Of course,” Jeff said. “We have plenty of time before we go out tonight. We could try out that new toy you got in the mail.”

“If you asked me here to listen to you talk about your pathetic sex life, I have better things to do,” Sebastian said as he joined them. “That new kid’s movie my six-year-old niece wants to see is sounding better every minute.”

“You’re spending your summer hanging out with a six-year-old and you call us pathetic?” Nick commented and then cursed himself for slipping up so quickly.

“Hardly my fault that your sexual exploits are less interesting than a preschooler,” Sebastian replied with a shrug.

Jeff sighed heavily. “Can we just admit that you two don’t like each other and move on?”

“No problem here,” Nick replied.

Sebastian gave him a half-smile. “What’s on your mind, Sterling? Finally ready to dump Duval for a real man?”

Unlike Nick, Jeff didn’t rise to the bait which actually impressed his boyfriend.

“Blaine told us that he saw you at Disneyland,” Jeff said. He stomped on Nick’s foot when Nick opened his mouth to add his two cents. “He misses you and I know you miss him too.”

“I’m sure Duval has already told you that I’m a heartless bastard who is incapable of having that depth of feeling about anyone,” Sebastian replied.

Nick snorted, half in contempt, half in agreement. He had said something to that effect, though he liked the way Sebastian phrased it better.

“You may want people to believe that, but I know better. I saw how the two of you were together, even before you admitted you were together,” Jeff replied. “I just don’t get why you don’t call him. You’re both here and you have to want to see him.”

Nick admittedly wasn’t the most observant person when it came to relationships. It had taken him years to realize how Jeff had felt about him and that had only been because Sebastian had pissed him off and he hadn’t been exactly thinking straight. However, he saw something in Sebastian’s face that he hadn’t expected. It was only there for a second before it was replaced with Sebastian’s usual indifference, but he was sure it was there. He’d seen it in the mirror for long enough before he and Jeff got together to recognize it; regret, pain, longing.

“Blaine’s future is in New York,” Sebastian said.

“I’m sure Hummel is anxiously waiting for him to get there,” Nick said. “I’m surprised you’d concede the field so easily though.” He was rewarded with a flash of anger in Sebastian’s eyes. No matter what he said, Sebastian did care. That was a revelation to Nick.

“It’s hardly any of my concern if Blaine chooses to return to the arms of his ex,” Sebastian replied. His jaw tensed for a moment before he took a sip of his coffee.

“He doesn’t really want to go to New York,” Jeff said. He gave Nick a look that begged him to shut up. “He loves it here.”

“Then he should stay,” Sebastian replied with an indifferent shrug. He swallowed hard and glanced out the window for a moment before returning his gaze to Jeff. “It has nothing to do with me.”

“He knows you’re going to UCLA,” Nick interjected. He almost smiled when he saw the flash of panic in Sebastian’s eyes. “He was pissed that you never told him.”

“Nick!” Jeff hissed. Now that it was out though, Jeff had to ask. “Why didn’t you tell him you were accepted here? Things could have been so different.”

“Different?” Sebastian scoffed. “You think he should have rearranged his life just because I happened to be moving to LA?”

“I think it should have been his decision,” Jeff replied, getting just a little irritated. “That’s what a relationship is all about. Sometimes you compromise, but it’s all about doing what’s best for you as a couple.”

“Blaine has spent his whole life doing what is best for everyone else,” Sebastian said. “He needs to do what is best for him for once. And that happens to be NYADA.”

The metaphoric light bulb went off in Nick’s brain. Arrogant, self-centered Sebastian was trying to give Blaine the freedom to do what he wanted without tying him down. It was misguided, but still… it wasn’t what he expected, and it was almost admirable.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nick said. “He’s figured out that you just agreed to ‘date’ him so you could get in his pants without looking like the bad guy. We’re helping him move on.”

“Nick?” Jeff queried, completely at a loss as to what his boyfriend was doing.

“In fact,” Nick continued, ignoring Jeff’s pleading look to shut-up, “we’re taking him out to the Commercial tonight. I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed just a touch. “Of course. It’s a great place to pick up a one-off.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Nick replied, while Jeff gaped at him. “It’s not like he hasn’t done it before. At least this time, he doesn’t have any reason to feel guilty about it.”

Sebastian methodically shredded his napkin into strips. “Good for him.” He downed the last of his drink and set in down with a resounding thud. Amazing that he had managed that much noise with a Styrofoam cup. “If we’re finished with this little reunion, I have a six-year-old to entertain.”

Nick cheerfully waved as Sebastian stalked out.

“Why?” Jeff asked. He didn’t need to elaborate for Nick to understand the question.

“As much as I hate to admit it, you were right. That arrogant asshole does have a heart,” Nick replied.

Jeff’s mouth dropped open. “So you decided to stomp all over it?”

Nick reached over and took Jeff’s hand in his. “Sweetheart, do you remember what prompted me to finally admit how I felt about you?”

Jeff looked totally confused. “Sebastian said something that made you angry and you were determined to prove him wrong?”

“He challenged my manhood,” Nick corrected. “I couldn’t let that go.”

“So… this was payback?” Jeff asked, still not getting it.

“Not the kind you’re thinking of,” Nick said with a grin. “I expect that Blaine won’t be leaving the club tonight with some random guy.”

Jeff frowned slightly. “No matter what you think, Blaine really isn’t the type to sleep with someone he just met. That one time was enough.”

“Sebastian doesn’t know that,” Nick said with a sly grin. “And it’s going to eat him up all day.”

“So this is revenge,” Jeff said, disapprovingly.

“This is ‘know thy opponent’,” Nick replied. “I suspect that by tonight, Smyth is going to have a renewed interest in clubbing.”

Comprehension finally dawned. “You think he’ll come to the Commercial because he can’t stand the thought of Blaine being with someone else.”

“Am I a genius or what?” Nick replied triumphantly.

“You are amazing,” Jeff said in awe.

Nick just hoped the results turned out as well as they had for him and Jeff. He hated to see his boyfriend disappointed and Blaine was a friend.

 

~ * ~
 

Blaine moaned slightly as his back hit the wall, whether from the pain of contact with a hard surface or from the pleasure of Sebastian’s mouth on his neck wasn’t clear to his muddled brain.

“Close the door,” Blaine managed to gasp. He really didn’t want to give his neighbors a free show, although there were some that would probably have paid money to watch. He had no idea how Sebastian managed to get the door closed without stopping what he was doing, but he heard the slam, so promptly put the matter from his mind.

“Bedroom?” Sebastian murmured against Blaine’s ear as his hands did magical things against Blaine’s skin.

They somehow managed to stumble the rest of the way to Blaine’s room without actually disengaging from their frantic groping.

It wasn’t until much later that Blaine wondered whether Cooper was home or not. He hoped not. He had no illusions as to the thickness of the apartment walls. For that matter, the neighbors may have gotten an earful as well. Neither of them had made any effort to be quiet.

As they lay in the bed twined around each other, Blaine wondered how they had gotten here. One minute he had been dancing with some guy at the club and then Sebastian was there. He had no idea who had come on to who, but… here they were. He had no idea what this meant, if anything. What did Sebastian want from him?

“Sebastian, what are we doing?” Blaine asked. He’d gone from being relaxed to the point of unconsciousness to so tense that he was sure Sebastian could feel it.

“It hasn’t been that long, has it? I thought it was obvious what we were doing.”

“We broke up,” Blaine said, not in the mood for Sebastian’s avoidance techniques. “Why are we in bed together?”

“You’re over-thinking it,” Sebastian said softly. “We both wanted the same thing. Can’t you just leave it at that?”

“Is this where you slip out again before I wake up?” Blaine asked, getting irritated. Sebastian moved away and sat up.

“I thought you’d understand about that,” Sebastian replied.

Blaine winced. He hadn’t meant it the way that had come out. “I did. I do. But this… I don’t understand this. What does it mean?”

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Sebastian said flatly. He stood and began gathering his clothes. “We both wanted to get laid, so here we are.”

Blaine sat up as well. “So this was just a one-off? Is that all I mean to you now?”

Sebastian pulled his pants on and then paused to run a hand through his hair in agitation. “You want a declaration of some sort? What would be the point? We both know where this ends.”

“Yeah, with you disappearing without a word,” Blaine replied, his hurt and anger getting the better of him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to UCLA? Afraid that I might try to extend our ‘arrangement’ for a few more weeks? You couldn’t wait to get on that plane to Paris and get away from me, could you?”

Sebastian had pulled on his shirt and started looking for his shoes. “Don’t make this my fault,” Sebastian snapped. “Leaving you that morning was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“So difficult that a few more weeks of being together were too much for you,” Blaine snapped back.

Sebastian found his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to Blaine while he pulled them on. “By the time I knew I’d been accepted here you had already found out that you weren’t. I wasn’t going to confuse the issue at that point.”

“What does that even mean?” Blaine asked.

Sebastian turned so that he and Blaine were facing each other across the width of the bed. “It means that you have a bad habit of rearranging your life to suit everyone else. I wasn’t going to be the reason you decided to give up a scholarship to a great school in New York.”

“I can make up my own mind about where I want to live,” Blaine protested.

“Right, that’s why everyone says you want to stay in LA, but you’re moving to New York,” Sebastian mocked. “Who are you trying to please this time? Your parents? Hummel? The acceptance board at NYADA?”

“How would you know what I want? We haven’t talked in two months,” Blaine said defensively. Sebastian had always called him out on his tendency to please others instead of himself.

“How do you think I knew where you’d be tonight?” Sebastian said. “Our friends and family can’t seem to keep their collective noses out of our business.”

Blaine didn’t doubt that for a minute, but it was irrelevant. “So you decided to – what? – have one last fling before I left for New York?”

“You really want to have a one-off with a stranger?” Sebastian asked. He didn’t wait for an answer. “Fine, be my guest. Kill everything that makes you so special while trying to find something that doesn’t exist. At least wait until you’re in New York where I won’t have to watch it.”

Blaine’s mouth dropped open in shock as Sebastian stormed from the room. What had just happened?

 

~ * ~
 

The sun was just making its presence known when Sebastian finally slipped into the back door at his cousin’s.

“I thought we were through with the all-nighters,” Ana said as Sebastian walked into the kitchen. She motioned towards the coffee pot that was still half full.

“I told you not to wait up,” Sebastian said. He poured himself a cup of coffee and then leaned back against the counter to drink it. He was sure that Ana wasn’t finished with him yet. Might as well get it over with.

Ana appeared to be debating what to say next. “I got an interesting email from Cooper Anderson this morning,” she finally said.

“Conspiring with my ex’s brother behind my back? That’s pretty low,” Sebastian said, though he didn’t really have the energy to be angry about it. He didn’t even bother to ask how she’d connected with Cooper. He didn’t exactly lock his cell phone up when he wasn’t using it and Allie knew his password because she played games on it quite often.

Ana chose to ignore his comment. “He said that you spent the night with Blaine last night. He thought everything was going great and then, bam, the two of you are arguing – quite loudly, although he couldn’t make out what it was about.”

“That makes two of us,” Sebastian admitted. “I was there and I’m not too sure either.”

“It’s over then?” Ana asked sympathetically, but sympathy was the last thing that Sebastian wanted.

“It’s been over for months,” Sebastian said. “One night of weakness isn’t going to change that.”

“You love him, don’t you?” Ana asked.

Sebastian downed the last of his coffee and set the cup in the sink. “I don’t believe in love. You know that.”

He didn’t notice the tears that welled in Ana’s eyes as he walked from the room.
 

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