You're so beautiful…

You're the best thing that's ever happened to me…

I don't want to hold you back…

Break-up sounds like a good idea…

It feels as if Kurt's body is rebelling against him – strong sobs force themselves from his throat, hot tears leak out from behind closed eyelids, and his feet start walking away of their own accord even though his heart is shouting No, don't leave him! He's the most important thing in the world to you, you can' just walk away!

But apparently he could.

I love you so much, Kurt wants to tell Blaine. You promised you'd always love me…I was going to spend the rest of my life with you…we gave each other everything…

But he can't say those things, and not just because his throat has sealed up like a vault, but because he knows Blaine won't listen. He's convinced this is best for Kurt, and that reason is enough to make him immovable form his decision.

So all Kurt can do is let his feet keep walking, away from Blaine, away from the boy he loves with every aching molecule in his body.

A sharp tug on his wrist brings Kurt to a stop.

He looks down through tear-blurred eyes at his right hand and sees nothing.

Great, he thinks sarcastically, but even the voice in his head is crying. I'm so heartbroken I'm delusional.

He keeps walking, but he hasn't taken one step before there's another insistent tug on his right wrist. It feels as if a cord is wrapped around it, like he's on a leash or something.

Again, Kurt sees nothing when he examines his arm. He moves just his hand forward experimentally, watching to see what happens, and even through his watery vision, what he sees is unmistakable.

There's a red string tied to him, only visible when pulled taut, leading to somewhere behind him. Baffled, Kurt's eyes follow its path.

The string is about ten feet long, and the other end is tied to Blaine's right wrist.

Kurt and Blaine's eyes meet, both pairs red and watery, with the same despair and confusion in their depths.

And because Kurt can't stand to look at Blaine's puppy-like eyes anymore, because Blaine is no longer his, he reaches down and distraughtly tries to remove the string.

The string, humored by the heartbroken boy's vain efforts, tightens around Kurt's wrist. Sooner or later, they will have to accept that the string knows better than they do, no matter how humiliating it must be to be outsmarted by a string.

Not to be deterred, Kurt gives the string a hearty wrench in an attempt to break it, because he's sure if he's around Blaine any longer he'll have an emotional breakdown right in the middle of the park.

All this accomplishes is nearly dislocating Blaine's arm as he stumbles forward, closer to Kurt. The string disappears from view again as it slackens, but they both know it's still very much there.

Kurt's not sure what's going on, half convinced he's gone insane, but honestly the throbbing pain in his heart outweighs his concern for his mental health.

"I guess you really can't say goodbye to me," Blaine says quietly, voice choked with tears.

That's all it takes to break Kurt's very thin resolve. He crumples, sobbing harder, but he never hits the pavement. Blaine has rushed forward and caught him in his arms, and then they're clinging to each other and crying into each other's shoulders for all of New York to see.

They murmur things to each other that they don't even know the real meaning of, but it doesn't matter because just the sound of their soul mate's voice is enough for them to know everything will be okay.

When Kurt finally manages coherent speech, it's tear-muddled and spoken into Blaine's shirt.

"You could n-never hold me back," he stammers, breathing in the scent of Blaine, "b-because you're my f-future. New York, b-becoming famous, and being on Broadway, having a big house – none of it's n-nearly as special if you're not by my side. I'd r-rather have a boring office job and have you to come home to than have my d-dreams come true without you."

Blaine clutches him even tighter, silently promising to never let go.

The string knows they've gotten the message, and it's pretty certain they won't be forgetting anytime soon.