Chapter Two:

Blaine Anderson sighed and pulled his computer bag close to his body. The wind was going to blow him away, and he had a paper due right before he had to leave for work. With his barista uniform in his backpack, Blaine ran to the student center as fast as he could. It was bound to start down pouring at any moment, and he really wasn’t in the mood to turn in a soggy paper. He turned the corner and almost ran into Angela, one of his co-workers. 

“Oh, thank God.” She said, grabbing his arm. 

“Angela, no, I-“

“We have an EP release tonight, Blaine.” She said, pulling him into the coffee shop where most of his tuition money was both earned and spent. “We need all hands on deck or this place is going to be a mad house.” She warned. When they turned the corner and Blaine saw that the band at barely started setting up, he grabbed his arms back from his coworker. 

“Ange, seriously?” He asked, dropping his bag. “I have a paper to turn in,” He said. “Seriously, it’ll take me about three seconds.” He said, grabbing his flash drives and running over to the computer stations. He had fifteen minutes before his paper was due, and the moments that it took him to boot the computer and upload his file, he had five minutes before the paper was due. But, it was in the professor’s inbox and he was ready to serve customers by the clock struck the hour. Being a barista was not one of the easiest jobs on campus. You were sure to come back to your living area covered in coffee grounds, chocolate, ice and other random items that you see in a coffee shop, and tonight was no different. The local band that was releasing their EP tonight seemed to have quite the unexpected fan base.  Blaine slowly, but surely, made his way back to his apartment covered in…well…everything.  

The moment he walked in the door, Emerson, his newly adopted golden Labrador puppy nearly attacked him. Instead of getting mad, however, Blaine laughed. This was exactly what he needed, something to make him laugh and smile. 

“Yes, Em, daddy’s home.” He grinned, rubbing the ears of the Labrador. “Are ya hungry?” He asked, before getting back up off the ground and making his way to the kitchen. Again, the puppy seemed to bounce up the walls in impatient waiting for Blaine to dish out his nightly food and water. Once they were dished and his special puppy vitamins were added to the mix, Blaine quickly made his way to his room, hoping to have a few moments of peace. He removed the coffee covered apron and added it to the pile of dirty laundry he was going to have to find time to wash this weekend. After the rest of his clothes were off, he made his way to his shower. 

The hot, spraying water seemed to take some of the stress out of his muscles, but not nearly enough for him to be comfortable. But, what was he expecting? He was a graduate music education student, so he didn’t have a life as it was, but he also had two jobs. The Starbucks around the corner was the one the paid the bills and the coffee shop on campus was the one that paid tuition. While the water ran over his body, and his dog waited in his bedroom for him, Blaine took a few moments to just breathe and relax. He was going to have to find something that would take some of the stress off of him. As much as he loved the idea of a stress free life, he knew it was completely impossible. With the addition of a new mouth to feed and a few more expenses, it looked like Blaine was going to have to take on a third job. One that was easier, of course, and with much less hours; like private lessons or something. He shook his head, not wanting to think about it right now. 

“Come on, Em,” He called to his dog. Once he was out of the shower, he slipped on a clean pair of underwear and slipped under the covers, hoping for at least a semi-peaceful sleep. 

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He was walking to class, running late as usual, when the flyer literally flew in front of his face. He was walking past the student activities and job board, which didn’t surprise him none. He took a moment to grab the piece of paper off his face, pocket it without looking at it, and made his way to class. He was studying in the library when the flyer came across his attention again. He stopped typing away on his midterm report and looked at the piece of paper. 

WANTED: BABYSITTER

I am a working, single parent in desperate need of a babysitter. My daughter is two years old, potty trained (kinda) and very well behaved. I am willing to pay for gas money and food expenses, as long as you wouldn’t mind stopping by my office for lunch with her. More information is posted on the website from which this advertisement came from. Contact information is located on the bottom of this flyer. Thank you for your interest.

~Kurt Hummel

Blaine looked at the flyer a couple times over before he folded up the piece of paper. He would look at it later, when he had time, if he had time. He sighed and moved his computer over, unable to stop thinking about the advertisement. The little girl was two, almost potty trained, and this Kurt Hummel seemed genuine, unlike some of the other flyers that are posted on the board. Once he moved the flyer out of his vision again, he moved to check his bank account. After looking at the bills he needed to pay and how much money he was going to be making this term, he decided without really deciding. He was going to take the job. 

“You’ve reached the cell phone of Kurt Hummel, please leave a message with your name and number, and I will do my best to return your call, thank you.” Blaine listened to the message for the tenth time and then finally, finally, left a message. 

“Hi, Mr. Hummel, my name is Blaine Anderson and I saw your flyer that was posted on the Student Board at New York University.” He started. “I was calling to set up a meeting with you in regards to your employment position. You can reach me at this number, and I am able to take your call at any time. Thank you.”  Blaine sighed and put the phone done. Honestly, he had no idea why on Earth he decided to do this, but he didn’t have a bad feeling, so he went with his gut. 

Two days later, he made his way to the production offices of Sacks Fifth Avenue and he was pretty sure he was about to piss himself. He wasn’t dressed for this kind of interview, if that’s what was going to happen. He stood in front of the doors for a few seconds, trying to gather his thoughts. 

“Ya gonna go on in, boy?” A voice snapped Blaine out of his thoughts. 

“Huh,” 

“I asked if you’re gonna go on in there of if you’re just plannin’ on gawkin’ all day.” A man, who Blaine assumed was the door man, asked. Blaine stammered for a second and then made his way closer to the door. 

“You have a good day, my good man.” The man said, before Blaine made his way to the receptions desk. 

“Good morning, thank you for calling Sacks Fifth Production Department, my name is Tiffany, please hold.” The petit brunette behind the big marble desk smacked her gum rather loudly, and Blaine was this close to opening her mouth and throwing it away for her. She moved her headset to the side of her face and looked at Blaine, rolling her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, sir, but the model auditions closed two weeks ago.” She moved her finger to press a button. “Marky, come and get this boy-“

“No, ma’am, I’m not here for the model audition,” He said, reaching to stop her. She sighed. 

“Then what are ya here for?” She asked.

“I have a job interview with a Mr. Kurt Hummel,” He said. The girl, Tiffany was her name, nodded and moved her hand to another set of buttons. 

“Mr. Hummel,” She asked. 

“Dear God, Hornet, what do you want?” He asked, seeming annoyed. 

“Your interviewee is here,” She rolled her eyes. “And don’t call me Hornet, please. I at least try to be nice to you.” She said, before throwing her thumb over her shoulder. “That way, if you can’t read signs, turn around and I’ll give you directions.” She hissed, before sending Blaine off on his way. 

Luckily for Blaine, he could read and eventually found his way to the elevator. There was an office list on the elevator wall that led him to Kurt’s floor and signs on the floor that helped him twist to his office. He knew he made it to the right office when he heard the soft sounds of classical music escaping from under his door. Blaine took a moment to breathe and fix his jacket before knocking on the door. 

“Come in,” The voice that Blaine had only heard on the phone sounded so much more…calming in person. He gently entered the room and smiled when Kurt’s head shot up from his desk. 

“Hi, Mr. Hummel, I’m Blaine Anderson.” 

“Yes!” Kurt’s eyes changed as he took his glasses off and moved to shake Blaine’s hand. “And please, call me Kurt.” He smiled, offering Blaine to take a seat. 

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.” Blaine smiled and watched as Kurt dug around in his miniature fridge in search for a couple bottles of water. Once he pulled two out, he handed one to Blaine. Instead of taking the seat behind the desk, like Blaine was expecting, he sat right beside him. 

“Thank you so much for answering my ad,” He sighed. “I have been looking for a babysitter for such a short time I wasn’t expecting someone to answer right away.” 

“Desperate times call for desperate measures, trust me, I understand.” He opened the water and took a small sip. Kurt nodded and pulled Blaine’s portfolio off the desk. 

“So, according to this, you received your bachelor’s degree in elementary music education from New York Music Conservatory and you’re currently working on your master’s degree at NYU?”  Kurt asked. Blaine nodded. “So, you like kids?” Kurt smiled. Blaine watched his face, his pale face with a light pink undertone, and those amazing eyelashes. 

“I love ‘em,” Blaine blushed. “I was the younger brother and I saw what my older brother was like with me and always wanted to do that with someone else. Since my parents decided not to have any more kids after me, I wanted to work with kids.” Blaine shrugged. Kurt smiled and clicked a pen, making some notes on Blaine’s portfolio. 

“Any criminal warrants or arrest warrants?” 

“Nope,”

“Problems with alcohol or drugs?” 

“Nope, I mean, I drink sometimes, but I only get drunk when I am really, really depressed.” He noted, and Kurt cocked an eyebrow. Blaine smiled. 

“I’m kidding,” He noted. After a few more minutes of conversation and asking each other questions, Kurt new. 

“I think we need to set up another appointment,” Kurt noted, grabbing his planner. 

“For what?” Blaine asked. 

“For you to meet Julianne, of course.”  Kurt smiled. Blaine grinned and took a deep breath. He might just enjoy this job after all.