Chapter 3
The next day at school, Blaine couldn’t shake the lingering thoughts of Sebastian from his mind. He tried to focus on the tasks at hand; sitting through classes, taking notes, and responding to Sam’s jokes, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the encounter the night before. The way Sebastian had looked at him, the unspoken tension between them, it felt like there was something more there, but Blaine didn’t know what. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.
As he walked through the halls, heading to his locker, Blaine spotted Quinn ahead of him, chatting with Rachel. He could already feel the weight of the day pressing down on him. He needed a distraction.
When he reached his locker, he shoved his books in quickly, avoiding looking around too much. He didn’t want to accidentally catch a glimpse of Sebastian, though he wasn’t sure why it would make him feel so unsettled.
Out of the corner of his eye, Blaine saw Sam walking toward him, a bright smile on his face. It was a welcome sight, and Blaine forced himself to focus on the familiar warmth Sam brought. He smiled back, hoping the smile was convincing enough to mask the whirlwind inside his head.
“Hey,” Sam greeted him, his voice light and easy. “How’d you sleep? You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world this morning.”
Blaine chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Yeah, just one of those days, I guess,” he said, trying to brush it off. “I’m good. How about you?”
“Same old, same old,” Sam replied with a grin. “You know, trying to survive this insane week.”
Blaine smiled, grateful for Sam’s easygoing nature. As they walked down the hall together, Blaine felt the knot in his stomach tighten again, but he ignored it. He had Sam, and he knew he shouldn’t let whatever was happening with Sebastian interfere. But no matter how hard he tried, the feeling didn’t go away.
The day passed in a blur. Classes came and went, and Blaine’s mind kept returning to Sebastian, despite his best efforts to stay focused on Sam.
At lunch, he found himself sitting with Quinn, Rachel, and a few other friends, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Sebastian’s presence loomed in the back of his mind, making it impossible to fully relax.
He didn’t know how he was going to navigate the tension between his feelings for Sam and the confusing pull he felt toward Sebastian. All Blaine knew was that, right now, he had to keep moving forward, even if he didn’t have all the answers.
-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-
After school, Sebastian and Sam stood on the lacrosse field, going through their warm-up drills. Sebastian’s focused, but not entirely. He can’t stop glancing toward the bleachers where Blaine and Quinn are sitting. Blaine is laughing at something Quinn said, his smile lighting up his face. Sebastian can’t help but look back at him. The way Blaine’s laughing so easily, looking so comfortable, so natural with Quinn; and then the way he’s with Sam.
Sam, his best friend. The guy who’s been by his side for as long as he can remember. And now he’s with Blaine. He’s not jealous of them, but there’s something about Blaine and Sam together that twists something inside him. The way Blaine leans into Sam when they’re talking, the way Sam just looks at him… Sebastian can’t quite place the feeling, but it makes his chest tight.
Sam notices his friend’s distracted glances and gives him a sideways look as they move into a new drill. “You alright, man?” Sam asks, clearly seeing the way Seb keeps looking at the bleachers.
The brunette quickly looks away, acting casual. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he says with a forced grin. “Just making sure Quinn doesn’t try to make Blaine join the cheerleading squad or something.”
Sam raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying the excuse. “Uh-huh. Sure. You sure you’re not distracted by something else?”
He just waves it off with a laugh, trying to act unaffected. “What? Me? Nah, just getting into the game. You know how it is.”
Sam nods but doesn’t press further. They continue with their practice, but Sebastian’s mind keeps wandering back to Blaine and Sam. All he can think about is the way Sam was looking at Blaine just a few minutes ago. That look. Like he’s completely in his own world with Blaine. And it makes Sebastian feel like an outsider, even though he’s right there, part of the team.
As they move through more drills, Sebastian can’t stop himself from glancing at Blaine again. Blaine’s smiling at something Quinn said, the way their shoulders are casually touching. It’s so natural, so easy. Sebastian feels like he’s on the outside, looking in at something that’s not meant for him.
He throws the ball to Sam, trying to shake the feeling. “You know, you two look like you’re straight out of a rom-com or something,” Seb says, his voice a little sharper than usual, though he tries to keep it light.
Sam laughs, clearly missing the edge in his best friend’s tone. “Yeah, well, it works for us.”
Sebastian forces a grin. “Yeah, clearly.” He doesn’t say more, just keeps his focus on practice. But every time his eyes flick back to the bleachers, where Blaine and Quinn are, where Blaine is, it gets harder to ignore the feeling that’s tugging at him.
Sam’s still his best friend, but in that moment, it’s hard to shake the fact that Sam is also Blaine’s boyfriend now. And Sebastian has to learn to deal with that.
After lacrosse practice, Blaine waited by the bleachers as the last players filtered out of the field. He wasn’t on the team, but he often stuck around to watch Sam play, offering encouragement when needed. He liked the energy of the team, especially when Sam was on the field, giving it his all. It made Blaine smile to see Sam so passionate about something he loved.
Today, though, his mind was somewhere else. He glanced over at the players as they packed up, his gaze lingering on Sebastian. He had to admit that, despite all the confusion, there was a certain pull toward Sebastian, one that Blaine had been trying to ignore. Sebastian’s confidence, the way he carried himself, it was magnetic, and it made Blaine uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t quite understand.
Sam jogged over, tossing his helmet to one of the equipment managers as he waved at Blaine. “Hey, ready to go?” Sam asked with a grin, looking as fresh as ever despite the sweat still glistening on his skin.
“Yeah, just waiting for you to finish up,” Blaine replied, forcing a smile as he leaned back against the bleacher rail.
Sam raised an eyebrow, noticing Blaine’s distracted expression. “You good? You’ve been kinda out of it today,” Sam asked, concerned but trying to keep it light.
Blaine nodded quickly. “Yeah, just a little tired from school, that’s all,” he said, avoiding his gaze. He didn’t want to talk about it, not yet. Not when he wasn’t sure what he even felt.
Sebastian, who had been talking to a teammate nearby, caught Blaine’s eye as he walked toward the group. There was something in his expression, something almost knowing, as if he could sense that Blaine was preoccupied with thoughts of him. The brief look between them sent a wave of unease through Blaine’s chest, and he quickly turned his attention back to Sam.
“Let’s head out,” Blaine said, flashing Sam a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.
As they walked out of the stadium together, Blaine couldn’t shake the feeling that things were more complicated than he was willing to admit. He had Sam, he liked Sam, and yet… Sebastian was always there, lurking in the background, making it hard for Blaine to keep his thoughts straight.
He glanced over at Sam, who was chatting about a plan for the weekend, and sighed, trying to push the thoughts of Sebastian from his mind. But as they walked out of the gates, Blaine knew that the more he tried to ignore it, the more it seemed to pull him in.
As Blaine and Sam walked down the sidewalk, the normal chatter between them was tinged with an underlying tension Blaine couldn’t shake. Sam seemed in his usual upbeat mood, joking about some upcoming event in their school’s schedule, but Blaine found it harder to stay focused on the conversation. He kept thinking about Sebastian’s quiet presence, how he had looked at him earlier during practice, so much like he knew Blaine’s thoughts before Blaine even understood them himself.
“You’re really quiet today,” Sam remarked, looking over at Blaine with a concerned glance. “Is something on your mind?”
Blaine forced himself to smile, hoping it looked genuine. “Just tired, I guess. Long day.”
Sam gave him a sideways glance. “Uh-huh, sure. If you say so.” He nudged Blaine’s shoulder playfully. “Come on, you can talk to me about whatever’s bothering you. I’m your boyfriend, remember?”
Blaine’s heart softened, guilt gnawing at him. Sam didn’t deserve to be kept in the dark. He wasn’t doing anything wrong; he was just being himself, sweet and supportive, as always. The problem wasn’t Sam. It was Blaine’s own inability to sort out the mess in his mind. But how could he tell Sam about the strange pull he felt toward Sebastian, especially when they had barely spoken?
“Just…” Blaine trailed off, unsure how to voice what he was feeling. He glanced at Sam, who was still waiting for a real response. “I’m just trying to figure some stuff out, you know? Just… some stuff with me.”
Sam raised an eyebrow but didn’t push further. He seemed to sense Blaine wasn’t ready to open up fully. “Alright, if you want to talk about it later, I’m here. But just know I’ve got your back, no matter what.”
Blaine smiled again, though it didn’t feel like enough. “Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate it.”
They walked in silence for a while, the setting sun casting long shadows on the ground. The easy pace of their walk helped calm Blaine’s nerves slightly, but the thoughts of Sebastian and the strange pull he felt toward him wouldn’t leave his mind. Every time they walked by each other in the hallway or exchanged a glance, it seemed like it only grew stronger.
Eventually, they reached the corner where they always said goodbye before heading to their respective houses. Sam turned to Blaine with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Don’t forget, I’ve got that movie night planned at my place this weekend. You’re not backing out.”
Blaine chuckled, grateful for the distraction. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll be there.”
They exchanged a quick kiss, and Sam waved as he walked off in the direction of his house. Blaine watched him go, feeling a wave of affection but also a tug of something else, something far less clear and more complicated.
Blaine sighed and turned in the opposite direction, heading toward his house, his mind whirling with the mess of emotions he wasn’t ready to confront. As he walked, he couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to get much more complicated. The confusion in his heart, the growing pull he felt toward Sebastian, the commitment he had to Sam, it was all crashing together, and Blaine wasn’t sure how long he could pretend it wasn’t happening.
Blaine kept telling himself it was nothing, that it was just a weird, fleeting thing. But when he spotted Sebastian in the hall between classes, chatting with some of the lacrosse team members, Blaine couldn’t help but feel the weight of his presence, like he was constantly hovering just out of reach. Blaine quickly turned his head, not wanting to be caught staring, but it didn’t stop the heat that crept up his neck.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Blaine gathered his things and headed to his next class, trying to ignore the strange feeling. But of course, things weren’t that simple.
As he entered the classroom, Blaine’s eyes instinctively sought out the seat next to Sam, but instead, his gaze landed on Sebastian, who was sitting in the back row, as usual. Sebastian looked up and caught Blaine’s eye, and for a moment, the entire room seemed to disappear. The intensity of their unspoken connection hung in the air, thick and palpable, and Blaine quickly looked away, feeling a rush of heat spread across his face.
He sat down beside Sam, trying to steady his breathing, but the thought of Sebastian lingered in his mind.
“Hey, you okay?” Sam whispered, nudging him lightly. Blaine could hear the concern in his voice.
“Yeah,” Blaine replied, forcing a smile. He didn’t want Sam to know about the internal mess he was dealing with. It wasn’t fair to drag him into it.
As the teacher began the lesson, Blaine tried to focus, taking notes and participating in the discussion. But his mind kept drifting back to Sebastian.
Finally, the bell rang, and Blaine quickly gathered his things, eager to leave the classroom and put some distance between himself and the mess of emotions swirling inside him.
Outside, the day had turned cooler, and the crisp air helped clear his mind, at least for a moment. He spotted Rachel up ahead, talking with Quinn, and he quickly made his way over to join them.
“Hey,” Quinn greeted him, her voice light. “How’s it going?”
Blaine smiled but kept his responses brief. His head was still spinning, and he wasn’t sure he could pretend everything was fine much longer.
As they walked together, Blaine’s eyes flicked toward the lacrosse field in the distance, and he saw Sebastian practicing with the team. The sight of him, effortlessly moving across the field, was like a magnet pulling Blaine’s attention, despite himself.
Quinn caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow. “You alright?” she asked, her tone knowing. “You’ve been a little distracted lately.”
Blaine hesitated before replying, “Yeah, of course. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
Quinn narrowed her eyes, sensing there was more to it. “If you ever want to talk about it, you know I’m here. Just don’t let it mess things up with Sam, okay?”
Blaine’s heart twisted at her words. He didn’t want to mess things up with Sam. Sam was everything he had ever wanted, and he didn’t want to hurt him. But the more he tried to push away his feelings for Sebastian, the stronger they seemed to become.
“I won’t,” Blaine replied softly, his voice almost a whisper. But deep down, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
The rest of the walk home was quiet, Blaine lost in his own thoughts, and Sam seemed to notice, but he didn’t press. They said their goodbyes at the corner of Blaine’s street, and Blaine walked the rest of the way alone, the weight of the situation heavier than ever.
As he entered his house, he let out a deep breath, wishing for some clarity. But all he had were more questions—about Sebastian, about his feelings, about Sam—and no answers in sight. All Blaine knew was that he couldn’t keep running from it for much longer. Something was going to have to give.
And he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.