CHAPTER SIXTEEN

SATURDAY EVENING

BLAINE

By the time I had unpacked my overnight bag and splashed my face with cold water in an attempt to wake myself from my nap, I realized I was starving.What an inconvenient time for me to be starving, I said to myself. I was perfectly content to sit in my room and wait for Kurt to email me back, but clearly my body had its own plans.

Stupid body.

I briefly debated ordering room service and having my evening go by as planned, but my common sense knew better than to just lay around and wait around for Kurt to contact me back. Not because I didn't want him to - god, I wanted to hear from him more than anything - but this seemed to be a pattern in my life and I don't want to repeat it yet again.

I stuck the keycard for my room in my pocket along with my iPhone and wallet and made my way down to the lobby. After getting the recommendation from the receptionist, I walked about six blocks and stopped at a Thai restaurant called Noodle. The receptionist said that the portions were big, the food was good, and they had a full bar.

The restaurant was fairly empty given that it was around 3 in the afternoon though the restaurant wasn't big to start with. Instead of sitting at one of the few tables the place had, I parked at the bar and perused the menu before the bartender approached me.

"What can I get you today, hun?" the guy asked with a wink. I chuckled a bit under my breath as I looked at the man behind the counter. He was tall - significantly taller than me - with a buzzed haircut, dark brown eyes and a simple black polo and black pants, which I guessed were the uniform of the restaurant. I had literally spoken to maybe five people in this city and one of them had already hit on me. So much for being a conservative part of the Bible Belt, I thought to myself.

"Whatever local beer you have on tap, please," I replied with a slight smile.

"Anythingfor you," he said as he shuffled down the counter toward the tap. I was extremely flattered by this guy. He was attractive and the Southern accent he had wasn't hurting him any, but I wasn't going to actually pursue anything with this guy for a multitude of one reasons. One reason I wanted to admit was Kurt, but I shoved that niggling into the back of my mind when the man brought me the beer.

"It's Sweetwater 420," he said as he rested it on the cocktail napkin he placed in front of me. "Best in town, aside from me of course."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and laugh at that. God he was bold; bolder than the guys I met in New York and that really says something.

"Thanks," I said as I reached for the beer.

"Paul," he said.

I looked at him quizzically over the rim of the glass in my hand.It really was good beer, I thought as I put the glass back on the bar. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"My name. It's Paul," he replied.

"Uh, well, thanks Paul," I stated. "Can I place my order with you as well?"

"Sure thing. Are you going to eat here or take it to-go?"

"For here, I suppose. This...uh... Thai peanut noodle sounds good. With beef, please," I requested.

"Of course," he said, tapping the order into the computer in front of him. He fiddled around for a minute and I sipped on my beer for a minute and was about to grab for my phone in my pocket before Paul turned his attention back to me. "What brings you to our fine establishment on this Saturday afternoon?"

I took one last sip before replying. "I'm in town for business. Staying down the street actually."

"Whereabouts?"

"Georgian Terrace," I conceded.

He whistled. "Swank. You must be some high-powered executive to afford a place like that."

I laughed. "Far from it, really. Since it's on the company dime, they're setting me up there. Otherwise I'd still be at home right now."

"And where's home?" he asked with a heavy drawl. I'd be wrong if I didn't admit that his accent was precious.

"New York," I replied. "City, to be exact."

"I used to date a guy who lived in New York. I love when City Boys come Down South for the weekend. Well, please let me welcome you on behalf of all the rest of the Southern gentlemen," he said with another wink. God this guy was too much, I thought. "Have you been to Atlanta before?"

I nodded. "I was born here, actually. My grandmother used to live somewhere north of the city, I don't remember the name of the area now. I just remember it was off West Wesley Road." I was surprised that I remembered that information, but she always sent birthday cards and I can still remember her return address labels - Anderson in golden scroll along with her monogram. She insisted that it was proper for a Southern lady to have appropriate stationary.

"That's pretty swanky... sorry, what's your name?" he asked.

"Blaine," I replied. "But she was... swanky, as you say. Not me." Paul looked like he was going to ask another question when I felt a buzz coming from my pocket. I held one finger up, signifying that I needed a moment, before extracting the phone from my pocket and smiling at Santana's name and picture on the display. Paul looked at my phone curiously at the woman's photo on the display before I managed to accept the call and place the receiver to my ear.

"Hey there," I said with a slight flirtatiousness to my voice.

"God B, what is wrong with you? If you're trying to flirt with me, it seems just... wrong. Why are you acting weird?"

I laughed. "I'll explain later. What's up San?"

Paul busied himself at the sink behind the bar, cleaning glasses or something, trying not to eavesdrop but failing miserably.

"Well," she said. "I just wanted to see how things were going. And not exactly about that flight you had this morning. I meant about the dating thing."

I rolled my eyes. What was she, my mother? She was certainly starting to act like it now; my own mother had been asking me about boyfriend relentlessly for about two years now and I wasn't exactly eager to have Santana bugging me about it too. "It's fine, Santana. It's going well actually."

"Ooh, do tell." I could practically hear her salivating at the thought of me having some kind of salacious love life that she needed the details on.

"No way. Look, you know how I am with... these things," I said, realizing that Paul was still listening and not wanting him to be privy to the nature of my call with my best friend. "But I'm just trying to be cautious and take things slow. Don't tell me you don't agree that this is the best idea in a small way."

"I know, Blaine." She sighed. "I'm not trying to pressure you or make you tell me too much too fast. God knows I don't want to hear about you porking some other dude." I snorted at her inappropriate comment. I loved her when she was snarky. "But I just feel like you're so loving and that you should be happy and in love."

"That will come, Santana. But I need to be guarded about this for now. You know what my track record was in the past." I thought about the one relationship I had divulged to Santana - which I had only done because Santana had practically funneled tequila shots down my throat - and brought myself back to the conversation before letting my mind go too far off track.

"I know." She was silent for a moment and I took the silence to take another gulp of my drink before she continued. "Whenever you want to talk about it, we will okay? I'll try not to bug you about it, but I'm just curious and excited for you."

"Thanks San," I said.

"Well, why don't we give this call a purpose. How's Atlanta so far?" she asked, warranting a laugh at her drastic subject change. If there was one thing Santana wasn't, it was subtle.

We chatted for a few minutes and I shared with her the plans I had with Jeremy tomorrow and how excited I was to be working with him in the future. I ended the call once Paul brought my food out some five minutes later. Santana wished me luck on my brunch with Jeremy the next day before saying our obligatory 'I love yous' as we hung up. It was a strange tradition for a man and a woman to share, but since it was Santana and I, I didn't think anything of it.

Once Paul placed the food down, he turned quickly and shuffled back to the kitchen. He'd heard me speaking with Santana and our exchange at the end of the call and probably assumed that she was my girlfriend. It wouldn't have been the first time someone thought I was straight - it was nice at times when I was being blatantly hit on by guys like Paul, but annoying when I practically had to convince some people - primarily women - that no, I wasn't into boobs and unless you had an extra appendage between your legs, I wasn't interested.

I was about to put my phone up when I felt a buzz coming from my locked phone. Curious, I unlocked my phone and the home screen showed that I had an email. Upon tapping it open, I dropped my chopsticks.

From: Kurt Hummel.Well, that answers that question.
Subject: RE: Hi Kurt!

I neatly placed the chopsticks at the side of my plate and read Kurt's response carefully.

Hi Blaine!
I'm not sure it's a good thing that I'm on NYCDate, but now I think my opinion has changed. ;)

Oh my god. Breathe, Blaine. BUT I CAN NOT BECAUSE HE IS FLIRTING WITH ME. He is flirting, right?

Okay. Internal freak out over. I still have most of his message left to go. No sense in having a conniption fit now.

Working in costume design is a dream and having worked on touring productions in the past, Broadway is such a nice change and certainly a dream come true. That's fantastic that you like Broadway shows as well. Which is your favorite? You'll have to come and see Bring It On! (the show I work on) if you haven't already. I know a guy and I'm sure if you butter him up, he'll hook you up.
And yes, I love fashion and try to keep tabs on trends as much as possible. I used to be much more... devoted (my roommate would say crazy) with my wardrobe before, but I realized you can still be stylish and not have to traipse down to the store season after season. My wallet is thanking me for that realization. But in regards to your outfit, I thought you looked great the other night - you'll certainly have no complaints from me. Please tell your friend that they're a liar.

Yeah, right. Telling Santana she's a liar is asking for a death sentence... unless you're Brittany. But also... he thought I looked great. Not good, not alright...GREAT!

What about you? What kinds of things do you enjoy? I know you're in the music industry though I still have no idea what you actually do since your job description from the site left much to be desired. You'll just have to explain it to me now.
And I'll be sure to wish New York a hello on your behalf. If you don't mind me asking, where are you spending the evening? Are you on vacation?
Either way, I hope you're enjoying... wherever you are!
Can't wait to hear from you again. :)
-Kurt

"Everything okay?" Paul asked, likely curious about my fixed gaze on my phone and my food untouched. "Do you want another beer?" he questioned, eying my empty glass.

"No thanks," I replied. "Actually, can I get the rest of this to go. Something came up."

"Sure," he replied, slight disappointment in his voice.

Screw the common sense in my mind, screw trying to be cautious, screw waiting. I needed to respond to Kurt. Now.

From: Blaine Anderson
Subject: RE: RE: Hi Kurt!
Sent: 3:42pm

Hey Kurt!
I'm still amazed that you work in costume design and on Broadway. You said that you worked on touring shows, right? Which ones? Did you go to any fun places while you were on tour? I bet it was great to see the world that way. In regards to my favorite show, I'd have to say West Side Story. I know it's horribly tragic, but it's a classic and I've been told I would make a remarkable Tony. I really love classic Broadway musicals; Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story, The Pajama Game, South Pacific... I'm pretty sure I was born in the wrong time period. But I haven't seen Bring It On! and I do love the movie, so I'd love to see it sometime if your "guy" can help me out. :)
It sounds like your roommate doesn't understand that fashion required a level of commitment that some mere mortals will not understand! What kinds of stores do you typically shop with? I know if I need any new clothes, I'm coming to you. Hope that's okay! I'm curious about what kinds of things you used to wear before since it seems like it's not to the same level of... epicness (is that a word?) that it was before. You'll have to tell me sometime.
Things I enjoy. Well, as you mentioned, I love music. Music is my life - literally. My job, basically, is to scout for new talent for the record label I work with and work with them through the recording, publishing, publicity and launch of the album. Once they're established artists, they're handed over to their permanent team and I find another group to work with. It's like teaching new kids when you're a teacher or something - it's hard sometimes and they might act like spoiled brats, but you're always excited when they first start and you're endlessly proud when they're done. It's really nice and I love it.
But other than music, I like to eat but I'm not really a foodie. I just like to try new things whenever I can. But other than that, I generally keep pretty quiet. I like to kick back and watch movies, read or hang out with friends. It might seem boring, but it makes me happy.
How about you? What kinds of things do you do for fun? And if you could be anyone in the world - dead or alive - who would it be? (Sorry if that's a weird question - I like to ask questions a lot. Helps me get to know people in ways you'd never suspect)
And as for my current location, I'm in Atlanta on a business trip. I was born here and I had family here, but I haven't been here since I was 13. It seems nice so far, but I have only been to the hotel and a restaurant down the street, so I haven't seen much.
Hope New York isn't missing me too much!
-Blaine

From: Kurt Hummel
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Hi Kurt!
Sent: 4:11pm

Hi Blaine,
Your flattery will absolutely get you everywhere - especially whenever you come and see the show. The people I work with are the best and nicest people in the biz and if you'd like to meet them and get the grand tour afterward, I guess I can give you a tour. ;) Those are fantastic choices for favorite shows. Personally, I like the newer stories but primarily because I feel like sometimes I identify with the newer life situations more than the ones from the past. I mean, how much can a story like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof tell me what it's like to be a gay kid from the Midwest who likes Broadway and sings higher than any guys I've ever heard? Not that it's not a lovely show, but there's something more appealing about shows like Rent or Next to Normal for me. But I have to admit, I love Singin' in the Rain; it's probably my favorite movie of all-time and I always watch it when I'm sick. Gene Kelly cures all ails.
My roommate doesn't understand many things, including how brown, black and navy can not all be worn at the same time, but I still think he's alright. If I had all the money in the world, I'd park myself at Barneys and Bergdorf, but I usually just go to Loehmann's or Nordstrom Rack since you can find killer deals that way. I prefer Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and any of the designers with classic cuts in their pieces. It's funny that you want to see what I wore in high school. I got made fun of a lot because I was pretty daring with my choices; kilts, half-sweaters, extra long sweater dress ensembles, really bright colored coats, etc. Looking back I am proud at how I dressed since that was a bold choice, but now I definitely think I look more refined and put together. I would say "more adult" but I think I've technically been an adult for eight years, so I can't really say that.
How you described your job is fantastic. Not only do I have a better idea what you do, but you sound really passionate about it. I guess we both lucked out working our dream jobs so young, huh?
It sounds like you and I spend our free time in a similar fashion. I watch reality TV - too much, if I'm being honest - and love to order any kind of Asian take-out whenever I can. As for what person I would be dead or alive... that's a tough question. I'd like to think Harvey Milk since he was so inspirational and I'd have loved to have gotten him to wear something other than tweed, but he didn't sing enough for my liking. So I'll have to get back to you on that.
That's cool that you're in Atlanta. Where are you staying? Have you been to any good restaurants yet? I actually lived there for 5 months when we were workshopping Bring It On! If you need any recommendations or anything (I think you're there until Monday, right?), I'd be happy to lend a helping hand.
Is it too soon to say I'm anxiously awaiting your reply? Because I am. :)
-Kurt

From: Blaine Anderson
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Hi Kurt!
Sent: 4:38pm

Kurt,
I'm already on pins and needles to see Bring It On! I loved the movie so I'll obviously love the show. And from what I hear, my tour guide is pretty easy on the eyes, so that's a perk. I wish I had more time to see shows these days, but I'm mostly hanging out at music venues rather than musical venues these days. It's not a bad thing - I love my job, of course - but I don't get to do the things I used to love as much any more. I mean, I haven't seen a musical since Next to Normal closed!
Your roommate sounds like too many guys these days - don't they take any pride in dressing well and - heaven forbid - matching? So many guys I went to high school with were hopeless when it came to wearing clothes outside of our private school uniforms. It sounds like what you wore in high school was better than what we were forced to wear. Although, I can totally rock a blazer.
Feel free to take your time on that question. I love to ask questions (I think I mentioned that already?) so be prepared for inquisitive Blaine! Admittedly, I don't even know how I'd answer that question so that's probably not fair that I asked you something I don't know myself, huh?
Awesome that you lived in Atlanta! I'm staying at the Georgian Terrace - which I was told is "very swanky" even though I assure you I'm not paying for it - and I went to a good restaurant for lunch. Tomorrow, I'm planning on going to some tea room that's around the corner from my hotel. Mary Mac's, I think? I was told that it has the best Southern food in town so I figured it was worth a shot. Unfortunately I won't have time to sight see much or go anywhere aside from my previously planned itinerary, but I'll probably be back here a few times over the next few months so I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have for the next time I visit. And don't just tell me touristy places - I love to go off the beaten path and live like a local whenever possible. It's also why I don't usually go the whole tourist route when I have friends come and visit from out of town; gotta show them what NYC is all about!
And I'm always excited to get an email from you. I hope to get another one soon.
-Blaine

From: Kurt Hummel
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Hi Kurt!
Sent: 5:01pm

B,
Sorry so short. I lost track of time so I had to head to the theater hence my delayed and curt reply. But I'll give you a full, detailed email later tonight if that's okay with you. Just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you. Then again, how could I? ;)
-K
-
Sent from my iPhone

KURT

I placed the phone in my pocket upon arriving at the theater with a slight blush flushing my cheeks. It was a mixture of the chilly summer air and the fact that I had been exchanging flirty emails with Blaine for the better part of the afternoon. I was on cloud nine; it felt thrilling to email with Blaine already and I couldn't imagine what it'd be like if - no, when - we were to meet in person.

But the cloud came crashing down when I saw Lauren making a beeline in my general direction as I entered the side stage area to get into position for tonight. She looked... down. Something wasn't right, like she was disappointed or...

"Hey," she said with a slight slouch. She pushed up the glasses on her nose with a huff.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to sound tender with my question.

"I'm confused," she stated. "Blaine was beyond eager to get my phone number the other night but he hasn't called or texted or anything." I flinched and hoped she didn't notice my reaction as she continued. "I really hope he isn't doing the whole waiting-three-days-to-call thing because Zizes does not play games."

"Uh... well," I fumbled. Should I be the one to tell her that Blaine is gay? Is that outing him in some strange way? I don't think Blaine even has any idea that Lauren a) knows that he has her phone number, and b) thinks he's straight. But what if I was her pining after some straight guy who I thought was gay? Would I want her to tell me?

"Lauren, I have to tell you something," I said, slight nervousness coming from my voice, but deciding I'd definitely want to know if I was in her shoes. "I got a message from Blaine last night."

"Oh? Did he want to know more about me? Was he using you to get the inside-"

"I-"

"I bet he was wanting to-"

"Lauren, don't-"

"Do you think he-"

"ZIZES!" I screamed. She looked at me in total shock and snapped her mouth shut. "Thank you," I continued. "Blaine messaged me. On NYCDate."

Perplexion plagued her face. "On NYCDate? How did he..." she trailed off for a moment and I could practically see the cogs in her head formulating what I was getting at. Once her eyes were as big as saucers, I realized the point had come through. "Oh," she said quietly.

"I'm really sorry," I replied, gently placing my hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly but not ending the contact.

"It's okay, I guess," she said, disappointment echoing from every syllable. "I just... I wanted it to work out for me for once. And Blaine was always so nice to me at The Bell House and he's really attractive and everything, I just wanted someone to notice me. And having someone like him notice me... it made me think I was worth it, you know?"

I rubbed her shoulder gently. "You are worth it, Lauren. If I was straight, I'd snap you right up," to that she gave a slight chuckle. "But someone's out there for you. Don't give up yet. I haven't."

She nodded slowly before turning her gaze back to me. "And look where that got you," she said with a wink. I rolled my eyes as her suggestion before she started chortling. "Oh god, I'm totally realizing that he was gay and I never realized it." I looked at her, puzzled. Sensing my confusion, she continued. "One night when a particularly horrific band was playing, I was telling him about my celebrity boyfriends - many of whom were Broadway actors like Aaron Tveit and Skylar Astin - and he asked why I wouldn't include Jonathan Groff. I said it wouldn't work since he was gay and he said something like 'I don't see how that's a problem.' Then he seemed a little too enthusiastic when I mentioned that I had seen Magic Mike and he and I did watch the scene with Channing Tatum dancing to "Pony" at least twice; laughing the whole time. God, it's really all coming together now and I just didn't realize. He just never came out and told me he was gay."

With that realization, I hardened and removed my hand from her shoulder. My previous fear about him being gay yet closeted might hold water since he never felt the need to come out to Lauren - a girl that he communicated with on a regular basis. He certainly didn't hold back in the flirtation department via email, but I only could hope the same would ring true if we were out in public. What if I had another William/James situation? This shit is really getting old.

"Kurt!" Roselyn yelled over the barrier backstage - effectively removing me from my thoughts of Blaine. "I need you back here!"

"Coming!" I replied, giving Lauren an apologetic shrug as I moved back toward the fitting area.

"Don't think you're getting off that easy," Lauren said as I scurried away. "I want to hear all about this message from Blaine when you have the time."

...

Hours later, I found myself back at my apartment - Wes was gone...again - with my Freemail account sitting open and the most recent chain of emails with Blaine staring at me. Throughout the show, I thought about the situation with Blaine and how I really hoped he wasn't another closet case. It was the curse of my love life for... well, my entire dating life... I just couldn't deal with it yet again. Having James be that way was bad enough; I can't have Blaine - gorgeous, sweet, goofy Blaine - be another one on my list of regrets.

My mind clouded over with thoughts of him before I saw a blinking tab at the bottom of my screen in my Freechat box.

Blaine: I saw that you were online and figured I'd try to IM you. I hope that's okay...

I still wasn't quite sure what to make of Blaine at this point - my thoughts bubbling with our flirty conversations from earlier along with the niggling feeling in the back of my mind that he was like every other guy that I dated - and decided to reply noncommittally.

Kurt: It's fine.
Immediately, he replied.

Blaine: Awesome! I hope I'm not bothering you. I'm lonely here and figured I could chat with you and save you from writing another email. :)

I smiled briefly before snapping my face back to its indifferent state. Even if Blaine couldn't see me, I can't give him the satisfaction of making me feel happy when he could only disappoint me again.

Blaine: I had an idea while you were at work. What if we played 20 questions? It'll be easier to break the ice that way (not that the emails weren't beginnings) but it'll help us get to know each other a little better in a quicker manner.

I grinned.

Kurt: Perfect. Me first.

Blaine: Fire away.

Oh, that I will.

Kurt: What's your favorite color?

No sense in busting out the big guns yet. I should probably ease him into the Big Question of the night.

Blaine: Navy blue. What's your favorite season?

Kurt: Autumn. How many siblings do you have?

Blaine: One annoying older brother. You?

Kurt: One step-brother. Probably just as annoying as your brother.

I laughed a bit as I thought of Finn. He really was an annoying oaf most of the time - though he was less annoying now than he was in high school and our first year out of school.

But I came back to the quest at hand when I realized I couldn't dawdle anymore.

Kurt: How old were you when you came out?

I waited with bated breath as I saw that he was typing his response.

Blaine: Wow, not waiting before dropping some serious questions.

I froze. Please tell me he's not avoiding the question. Annoyed and slightly pissed off, I typed back.

Kurt: That wasn't an answer, Blaine.

Blaine: Hold your horses, I'm getting there!
I waited again as the box signaled that he was typing again; this response taking longer than any of his previous ones.

Blaine: I was 14 when I came out to my parents and my brother. They were surprised at first and weren't sure how to take it, but they've always loved and supported me even if they don't always understand me.

"Thank god!" I yelled, immediately realizing that I was thankful that Wes wasn't there to hear me yelling at my laptop.

Kurt: And how did your friends take it?

Blaine: Tsk tsk. Not following procedure with two questions in a row.

I rolled my eyes at his response.

Kurt: Fiiiiiiine. Ask me another question and put that in your queue to answer next.

Blaine: Deal. ;) What was your most romantic date?

I laughed at his question.

Kurt: Now who's asking deep questions?

Blaine: I don't believe that was an answer, Kurt.

Kurt: Geez, what a stickler. ;)

I couldn't help but giggle at our playful banter. If we were anything like this in person, he and I were destined for something awesome. I thoughtfully pondered on his question before clacking away at the answer.

Kurt: I'd have to say a picnic in Central Park. It was simple, but the gesture was incredibly thoughtful.

Blaine: To answer your question, my friends took my coming out well. In fact, probably too well since they've been unsuccessfully trying to set me up with guys since high school. But they're wonderful people and they care about me.

I sighed relief. It seems like I had over analyzed the whole thing; such typical Kurt Hummel behavior. Blaine was out, seemed to have a good relationship with his family and had good friends on his side. All signs point toward go.

Blaine: If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

Kurt: Paris, of course. What about you?

Blaine: San Francisco maybe? I haven't really thought about moving - I love New York too much to cheat on it.

I giggled. He was so goofy and endearing; I loved it. After a slight lull in our conversation, I prompted him to continue.

Kurt: Keep those questions coming, Blaine! You have a lot to learn. ;)

After that nudge, the conversation continued to flow. We chatted back and forth for nearly four hours and I could hardly believe he and I talked for that long about everything and nothing at the same time. It was nice and relaxing to get to know little things about him before meeting him in person. We mostly talked about things we liked, music we loved, funny quotes from movies we enjoyed. We never delved back into the deeper conversations about growing up or life experiences or - god forbid - exes, but keeping the conversation light was... perfect.

By the time 2am rolled around, Blaine admitted that although he wanted to continue chatting all night, he had a meeting in the morning that he needed to prepare for and decided he should call it a night.

Just as I was about to bid him adieu, one thing stayed in the forefront of my brain.

Kurt: Blaine?

Blaine: Yeah?

Kurt: Why did you ask me about my most romantic date?

Blaine: I wanted to see what I had to compete with. ;) Goodnight Kurt.

The grin on my face from that one simple comment with an unspoken promise of a first date - and a romantic one at that - kept a smile on my face until sleep took me that night.