CHAPTER NINE

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

BLAINE

I couldn't believe I had been at the office for almost 12 hours. Sure, living in New York meant that people worked a lot since we lived in the city that never sleeps. But normally if I worked a 12-hour-day, it ended with me at a show with a beer in hand. Unfortunately, today was not one of those days, as I was still clicking away at my keyboard trying to send off emails to various departments who were gearing up to announce Atticus Finch's deal on Friday afternoon.

During lunch, Santana and David had agreed that Friday would be the best day to announce since the band was going to host a concert on Thursday night to announce the album to their local fans as a "thank you for sticking with us." The band invited me and some of the people they'd be working with at Rialto to the gig and Santana hoped to use the photos taken that night to accompany the announcement. Since I had discovered them at The Bell House, David thought it was perfect that they'd announce their new album there. And they already had a gig there, so it aligned perfectly.

"Anderson, come here when you wrap that up," Clark yelled from his office.

"Just a minute," I said as I proofread the email to accounting, who would need to set up a billing code for Atticus Finch's expenses. I clicked send and grabbed the nearest pad and pen before jogging over to Clark's office.

"Have a seat," he said as I entered the doorway. I sat down quickly and waited expectantly for him to rattle off whatever he had called me into his office for.

"You won't be needing that," he said, gesturing for the pen and paper in my hand.

I furrowed my brow. "Uh, okay." I tucked the pen behind my ear and let the paper rest on my legs.

He sat back in his chair, took a deep breath, and spoke. "Blaine, I've been really impressed with your work. You've only found a few bands and I know that not all of them went as planned once they got into the recording booth, but you've really made some gambles and I think Atticus Finch is the best one yet.

"I'm not the only person who's noticed the great job you're doing. I've had nothing but great reports from all of the people we work with along with our partners in the industry and they speak nothing but good things about you. I'm thankful for that because if you look good, I look good. And in an industry where things change quickly, the one thing that needs to remain constant is our reputation at Rialto as well as our partnerships with people in the industry."

He moved to sit more forward on the chair, arms extended onto the desk with his fingers intertwined as he twiddled his thumbs before continuing. "That being said, I want to send you to Atlanta on Saturday. There's a producer there that I want to use for Atticus Finch and I want you to be the one to tell him about the band."

I sat back, stunned. I hadn't traveled much for work before. I had gone to South By Southwest once and another convention in Philadelphia, but that was it. And it would also be my first work trip by myself.

"Okay... who am I going to meet there?" I asked. It was the first question to come to my mind even though I had a billion others buzzing around in my head waiting to be asked.

"Jeremy Reed," he stated.

My jaw dropped. Jeremy Reed was one of the biggest names in the industry and had made a name for himself by producing some of the best albums of the past ten years from the indie set. He had worked with bands like The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie and The Black Keys - all of which were currently on my playlist - and had moved his shop to Atlanta because it was an emerging city in the music scene where space was less expensive, things were more relaxed, and the paparazzi didn't exist. Being able to work with Jeremy Reed meant that you were set - and if I was going to work with Atticus Finch, it meant that Jeremy and I would have to become close. The thought of having daily conversations with Jeremy Reed blew my mind.

"Blaine? Earth to Blaine," I heard Clark say with a chuckle as I was pulled from my thoughts.

"Why me?" I asked before immediately clapping a hand over my mouth. I couldn't believe I just asked that. My dad always said to 'maintain confidence in the workplace and soon the responsibilities will match.' If I just doubted my own ability in front of Clark, he might doubt it too.Good job, brain.

Clark didn't seem phased by my outburst and he laughed a little at my obvious embarrassment. "As I mentioned before, you do good work. You're really something, Anderson. Working with Mr. Reed will only improve your career. And I know you're really interested in producing and I think this would be a... natural step toward that direction. I had hoped that Jeremy would act as a mentor to you so that one day you can be a producer."

Holy shit, I think I'm dreaming.

"I have faith in you, Blaine. If all goes well with Atticus Finch, I think I can see a promotion in your future," he replied calmly.

Now I was slack jawed and my eyes were bugging. Clark just looked at me and laughed. I clearly was not doing a good job at hiding my emotions. Then again, I never had been; my mom always said that I had a very expressive face. "Blaine, chill out. I know this is a big opportunity but you really deserve it. But let's not dwell on that for now; you have an album to complete first. So, first thing tomorrow, work with our travel partners and get yourself on a flight for Saturday to Atlanta. Meet with Jeremy in the studio on Monday and fly back Monday night since we need you on Tuesday for our planning meeting. It's a short trip, but it could be the first of many."

"Okay," I said quickly, so quickly that I practically shouted at Clark who was surprised by my outburst.

"And get outta here, Anderson. You're too young to spend your evenings at the office. That's what you do when you have kids and a wife at home that you're trying to avoid," he said with a wink.

I laughed. "Well, thankfully that's not in my destiny, Clark," I said with a knowing smile. Clark knew that I was gay, as did most of the office, but he couldn't help but crack jokes. One time, Clark witnessed one of our visiting producers asking if Santana and I were married after observing one of our interactions at work. The incident made Clark laugh riotously as he quickly corrected the producer, but he'd been dropping what he called 'straight jokes' ever since.

I hurried out of his office and collected my bag at my desk before heading to the elevator. Once inside its quiet protected interior, I let out a loud "whoop!" before doing my standard celebratory dance - the amazingly graceful and oh-so-stylin' cabbage patch. Since the building would be empty at this time of night, I was thankful that the elevator had little chance of opening at one of the floors and subjecting myself to the embarrassment of someone seeing me. I was acting like an idiot, but I couldn't help it. This was big news.

Once I exited the lobby and made my way to the street, I bundled my scarf up under my pea coat and fumbled for my phone in my pocket. I was still jittery and filled with excitement from the announcement and I needed to share it with the world. I could be a producer for THE Rialto Records. Me, Blaine Anderson. Record producer.

Whoa. Okay, I really need to simmer down before I start hyperventilating in the middle of the sidewalk.

As I unlocked my phone, I opened my contacts and wondered who to call. The first people that popped into my head were my parents, but they were traveling in Italy for their anniversary so they didn't have cell phone service. I thought about calling Cooper, but he'd texted me a photo that morning of the shoot he was doing in LA, so I knew he wouldn't be able to answer right now. I thought about texting Santana, but I wasn't sure if she would be congratulatory or somewhat snarky. Yes, Santana was one of my best friends, but she and I were pretty competitive when it came to work stuff and I wasn't sure how my possible promotion would sit with her - especially since she hadn't been promoted since we transitioned from being interns to full-time staff. I didn't want to seem like I was gloating - so I could tell her later.

I grudgingly shoved my phone in my pocket after shooting Cooper a quick text to call me when he was off work. I guess I'll have to keep it bottled up for now.

It was a moment like this that made me wish I had someone to call my own; who'd support me and be excited for something so monumental as this. He'd be the guy I could call when something great happened, when I needed advice, or even when something bad happened. Sure, I also missed the intimacy and sex that came with relationships, but more than anything I missed the companionship and the feeling like I was spending time with my best friend and enjoying his company.

As I made my way toward my apartment, I found myself dreaming of the time when I would spend the whole way home talking to Mr. Right as he told me about his day, I would tell him about mine and we'd share I love yous before turning in for the evening - or even before seeing him at the door to our apartment ready with a hug and a kiss.

God, I hope that time is coming soon.

KURT

The show went on without a hitch. Thankfully I spent the time before the show clearing out the costumes and making a few repairs on a few that I had noted during lunch that day. The busyness of work had kept my mind from thinking about the awkward interaction with James, but now that the show was over and I knew James was somewhere on the premises, I couldn't avoid the thoughts anymore.

James and I discussed that I would meet him and his business associates at the side stage after the show in case they were interested in seeing backstage. He wasn't sure if they'd want to go backstage, but having the potential to go backstage could be a good idea; especially if he was trying to schmooze. Unfortunately, we had decided on that before his weird... whatever it was that happened this afternoon. But my word if my vow - or so my dad says - so I grabbed my coat and waited at the stage door for James to show up.

After making small talk with the security guards who manned the area to keep the fans of the show in check while they were waiting on autographs, I saw James' blonde hair peeking out from the masses. It wasn't hard to miss - the guy was pretty tall; nearly as tall as Finn. I greeted him with a small wave and he reciprocated, a look of relief on his face.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to come," he said exasperated. "Look, I know it was really... weird... with me at Cosi and I'm really sorry about that. It's just," he paused to take a breath.. He was staring intently at his shoes afraid to meet my eyes but soon continued. "There's a lot happening at work right now and there's a lot riding on this investment strategy. I don't want to jeopardize it in any way - I need to be on my game all the time."

He looked up at me and I forced a small smile. I could understand that the stress of a big deal could be a lot, but did it warrant his Jekyll and Hyde behavior? "Look James, I get it. You have a lot going with this deal. But the way you acted at Cosi really freaked me out. It was like you were pretending you didn't know me. And I know you don't really, but it was just... odd."

He smiled meekly. "I know. And I really am sorry."

"It's okay. Just... don't make a habit of it, okay?" I said as I lightly nudged his shoulder. He practically beamed back, hoping that the joke equated my forgiveness. And really, it did. Could I really be mad at the guy for having a stressful day? "So, are they still here? Did they want to come backstage?"

He looked stunned. "Oh, uh, yeah. A couple of the guys had to leave, but Mr. Levinson and my boss, Mr. Poole, are still here. I'm sure they'd love to see backstage."

"Well, bring 'em back. And don't worry about this guy," I said, motioning to Jason, our theater's security guy. "He's harmless," I added with a wink. I heard Jason faintly chuckle in the background as James looked up at him.

"Okay," he said. "I'll be back in a minute."

I leaned back against the wall again before Jason came up to me and took a spot leaning against the wall next to me. "So who's that?" he asked.

"James," I stated plainly.

"Anything I need to worry about?" he inquired.

I rolled my eyes. "He's fine, Jason. I'll let you know if that changes," I replied.

Jason was a great security guard and an even better guy who was incredibly protective of the cast and crew of the show. He was a big guy; he used to be a private bodyguard for some celebrity living in New York, but decided to move to working for a theater so he could cut back on hours and take his two young daughters to see shows thanks to the comp tickets we were given as a perk of the job. Jason didn't seem to miss working for the privileged of New York and his daughters really loved coming and visiting him at the theater. Plus, he had become my "New York Burt" as I liked to call him, so it felt nice to always have someone on my side - especially when that someone reminded me of my dad.

Soon James was back with the two men. I smiled and waited for James to introduce us. "Mr. Levinson, Mr. Poole, this is Kurt Hummel. He works in the costume department for Bring It On! and offered to take us backstage to poke around and meet some of the cast."

Mr. Levinson extended his hand, "Please, call me Sean. And thank you for taking the time to show us around tonight."

"Not a problem," I said. I turned to Mr. Poole whose face was unreadable. I extended my hand and he just looked at it for a moment before shaking it hesitantly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Poole," I said quickly, hoping that my hand wasn't too sweaty as I shook his hand. God, this guy was intimidating.

"Yeah," he said roughly. I looked at James who shrugged lightly, dismissing his actions as if it was something that came with the territory. I did my best to shake it off and plastered a smile onto my face as I opened the stage door.

"Please come in," I said, motioning for the guys to walk inside. Mr. Levinson - uh, Sean - led the pack, slight grin on his face. Behind him was Mr. Poole who let out a loud sigh before crossing the threshold. Last was James, who reached behind me to hold the door open for me and added a wink as his hand lightly brushed mine against the handle. I blushed at the touch. What a gentleman.

As James shut the door behind him, I moved to the head of the group and motioned toward the various offices and dressing rooms downstairs. Sean seemed to be soaking up all of his surroundings and occasionally snapped pictures with his phone. I was thankful to have at least one enthusiastic person on our "tour" - Mr. Poole just looked irritated and James looked like he was having some sort of internal battle as his attention shifted between me and Mr. Poole.

"If you follow me upstairs, I can show you the side stage and the dressing area for our primary cast along with the stage itself. You haven't experienced Broadway until you've stood on one of its stages," I said with a slight chuckle.

Sean laughed as he ascended the stairs behind me. "I can't thank you enough for taking me back here," he said. "I have three daughters at home and they love this show. They were really jealous when I told them they couldn't join me tonight and were on the verge of disowning me out of jealousy when James told us that he knew someone who worked at the theater. I'm glad that my daughters are living vicariously through my 'exciting' life for once," he explained with a laugh.

"It's my pleasure really," I replied.

"Speaking of James here, how exactlydidyou meet?" asked Mr. Poole. It was the first sentence the man had formulated in my presence and I was slightly taken aback.

"Well, he and I..."

"Kurt and I met at a coffee shop," James interjected quickly. "Our orders got switched and soon we got to talking and became quick friends. Besides, when does it hurt to know a guy in the theater in New York City?"

Mr. Poole nodded and looked around to admire the sets that had been pushed to the side stage as I shot James a glare that could have frozen over a volcano. So this guy was acting weird at Cosi - like he didn't know me - and now he was lying to his boss about how he knew me. Something was seriously wrong with this guy and I just wanted to get this tour over with so he and his guests could be gone.

James looked at me with apologetic eyes, but I couldn't even look at him for more than a few seconds without rage boiling deep inside of me. A fake smile graced my face as I continued to show them around the theater, still not making eye contact with James who was trying to get my attention through light touches and his proximity to me. I was afraid that if I looked at him or acknowledged his presence that I would fly off the handle and throw a bitch fit. As much as I wanted to scream at him, ask him a billion questions about his peculiar behavior, and bitch him out out of spite for whatever he had going on in his mind, I knew it would not end well if we were in front of his boss and one of his clients. I at least had the professional courtesy to know if I was going to chew out the guy I went on a date with, I would at least wait until they had left.

Thankfully there wasn't much to see after that point - a few of the cast members were still lingering around and I introduced them quickly before the left the theater to head home. I closed out the tour by taking them back through the costume and makeup area before scooting them out the side stage door.

"I know I've said it a few times, but thanks again Mr. Hummel," Sean said as he shook my hand fervently.

"As I said before, it's not a problem. But please call me Kurt," I replied. "And if you and your daughters are ever back here to see the show, just talk to Jason here and he'll be sure to get me so I can give you another tour."

"Oh wow! Thanks Kurt! Harvey, why don't you and I get a cab, I'm sure James would like to spend some time with his friend," Sean said.

"Yes," Mr. Poole said. "Farewell Kurt," he grunted as he breezed past me.

James turned to me and the smile that had been plastered on my face dropped immediately. "I - uh - am going to see them off and I'll be right back, okay?" he asked, looking slightly afraid.

"You better," I snorted.

The panic set into his eyes as he quickly jetted over to the cab and shook hands with Sean and Mr. Poole before closing the cab door behind him and slowly walking back toward me.

"James, what the hell-" I started before James cut me off my grabbing my arm. I yanked my arm back and crossed them over my chest.

"Kurt, don't. You don't understand," he said, sadness dripping from every word.

"What don't I understand, James? Earlier at Cosi you were acting weird and you justliedto Mr. Poole about how we met. Why would you lie to him? Better off, why are you lying to me?" I was fuming by this point. James just stood there silently.

"He doesn't know," he stated.

"Doesn't know what?" I asked. I was afraid of the answer, but I'm sure I knew what was going to fall from his lips.

"He doesn't know that we're dating. I couldn't tell him, Kurt."

"I'm not expecting you to tell him that you're dating me - that's irrelevant. And really, we've only been on one date. It's not like we'retogetheror anything. I got the impression that he's not really impressed with anyone - much less someone as lowly as me. But I would never say anything to embarrass you. But why did you lie to him? Were you embarrassed of me?" I spewed the questions at him quickly and he struggled through each insinuation before his face flashed from scared to anger.

"No!," he shouted. "Because I'm embarrassed of me!" he exclaimed.

That I was not expecting.

"What do you mean?" I asked, a slight edge still seeping from my words.

James sighed. "Kurt, I've never been in a relationship before. I've never dated a guy before. I've never even kissed a guy before."

"Wait, what? How is that possible?" I asked. Sure I wasn't exactly rolling in ex-boyfriends either, but James wasreallyattractive and would certainly be snatched up by any number of gay guys that I knew.

"I've spent most of my life just not dating people because of the fact that I was gay and living in an area where being gay was frowned upon. You know how you mentioned how you struggled with being out when you were in high school? It was worse for me, so I just didn't tell people. Whenever my friends would ask me what girls I was interested in in high school or college, I would just say that I hadn't met The One yet and that I was waiting for the right one before I started dating. My friends thought I was just being a romantic or something, but really it was because I didn't want to tell them I was gay.

"The things that they would say about the gay kids that were in our schools was horrible and I couldn't imagine that happening to me. I was on the football team, I was popular with the cheerleaders, I was raised in a Catholic home. How could I be gay? I don't know how to act around people now - I'm afraid to tell boss and my co-workers about that fact about me because I don't know if they'll still accept me if I'm gay. God, I wish I had a choice in all of this," he said as he looked down at me with tears in his eyes.

"It's not like it was your choice to be gay," I said calmly. As mad as I was, I could only imagine how hard it had been for him growing up. But still, the man was 30 - had he...

"James, who knows that you're gay?" I asked.

His gaze was on the sidewalk again. "A handful of people."

I raised an eyebrow but pushed further. He wasn't telling me something. "Who knows?" He wouldn't answer me - he just stared. "James?"

"Just you," he said so quietly I wasn't sure if I had heard him correctly.

To say I was stunned was an understatement. How could a man who was 30 years old still not have toldanyonethat he was gay other than me? How has he been keeping this secret to himself for so long? How could he be denying part of who he was all this time?

"James..." I started before taking a pause to think through what I was going to say.

"Kurt, I know this is crazy. Yes, you're my first relationship." I practically choked at the word. Whoa there, slow down. I didn't use that term lightly but apparently the closeted gay guy dropped the word like it was nothing. I shook myself out of my stupor before tuning back into what he was saying. "But I really care about you and I really want to try and do something with this," he said, motioning between us. "I'm tired of being scared, I'm tired of running. I just want to be happy."

I smiled lightly before I shook my head. "James, that's so great. I'm so glad you're trying to be happy and that you're wanting to take this really bold step. But honestly, I don't think I can be that person for you," I stated simply.

He looked at me, a bit of despair peeking from behind his green eyes. "Why?" he asked brokenly.

I looped my arm in his and motioned down the street toward a diner at the end of the street. "How about we go get some coffee and I tell you about William."