CHAPTER TWO

MONDAY NIGHT

BLAINE

After completing my profile, closing down the office and parting ways with Santana, I took the subway out to Brooklyn. Being in artist development meant working bands up to being able to record an album. A lot times, that meant holding hands with artists, assuring them that they were - indeed - good enough to have their music heard by the masses. Some of the bands I'd found over the years had successfully recorded, some hadn't. But it was the nature of the beast - you never knew until you took a chance with a band and I loved that about my job.

It was like life. Sometimes people may surprise you once you give them a chance. And in my mind, that's kind of what I was doing with this whole online dating thing. I was giving it - and whatever guys I may meet on there - a chance. Besides, it's not like I was getting a marriage proposal out... though it would be nice to have one of these days.

As I changed trains on the one headed toward Brooklyn, I didn't even think twice about the fact that it would take me nearly an hour and a half round-trip to make my way out to the venue and back. Living in Hell's Kitchen was great, but leaving Manhattan meant that travel took awhile even with the express trains running. I could have found a good variety of venues to visit in Manhattan, but Brooklyn seemed to always bring a more laid-back vibe to its shows, and my favorite was The Bell House. It was a good, smaller venue that had shows nearly every night. Even though their shows weren't always a home run, I'd at least always have a good time.

Especially since my friend Lauren was their main bartender. Lauren and I met the first time I had gone to The Bell House for a band - whose name I couldn't remember because they were so incredibly awful - and Lauren and I commiserated over the band's horrible sound and the singer's lack of emotion in his songs; even if they were covers. Once the show concluded, she and I chatted for what felt like hours about music, New York, guys... everything. Turns out, Lauren was from the midwest too but had gone to New York after high school to try to get away from her old life and start over. She wanted to make herself over, lost about 100 pounds, redid her wardrobe, graduated from college, and became "less of a bitch" although she was still certainly pretty feisty despite losing her self-proclaimed title of Queen Bitch. We weren't best friends, but considering how often I found myself at this venue, she was always a good person to have on my side.

"Well, if it isn't Anderson. What's up?" she said greeting me from behind the bar after I showed them my ID and got my wristband to purchase alcohol.

"Hey Lauren, what's on tonight's agenda?"

"It's a group of kids from Queens - Atticus Finch. Their sound check wasn't horrible, so here's hoping that's a good thing," she said as she grabbed for a clean glass and started to pour me a beer. "No opener tonight, so hopefully you'll be back in Manhattan before your carriage turns into a pumpkin." She winked at me then placed the beer in front of me. I reached into my pocket for my wallet before she stopped me. "Anderson, you know better. I'll upcharge the hell out of these hipsters if it means I can get you a free drink now and again."

I chuckled and threw the cash into her tip jar and she thanked me silently with a nod as she made her way down the bar to help a new customer. I turned around and leaned on the bar, taking in the scene in front of me. The crowd seemed to be mostly younger kids, usually a good sign, and the room was fairly packed despite a weeknight show. As I started to analyze the various 'kids' that had come to the show tonight, the band came out from behind the curtain and took their places that their instruments. The crowd yelled enthusiastically - somewhat unusual for a band so unknown - as the lead singer grabbed the microphone.

"Hey guys! We're Atticus Finch and we'd like to thank each of you for coming out tonight. Without further ado, let's roll!"

With that, the band took off - and man, did they take off. Their music was incredible, their stage presence was far better than I would have expected from a bunch of kids, and the way that the audience responded to their music was infectious. Even I found myself singing along to the chorus of one of their songs when they called us to join them.

Once the forty-five minute set came to a close, I turned back to the bar to find Lauren, who was standing directly behind me with a grin on her face.

"What'd you think?" I asked as I placed my empty glass in front of her.

She smiled. "They were good. And you'd be an idiot not to talk to them, Anderson."

I laughed heartily. The best thing I could appreciate about Lauren was that she knew music. She wasn't a performer - she certainly didn't want to be - but she knew good music when she heard it. And she was never afraid to give her opinion on anything. Ever.

"Noted, ma'am. Well, I best talk to them, huh? If I don't see you, I'll probably see you sometime next week, right?" I added walking toward the stage.

"You best hope!" she practically screamed as she continued her duties at the bar.

Approaching the stage, I saw the band had started to pack up for the night. Some of the guys were talking to their fans near the front of the stage while a few others were picking up the pieces of the drum kit or packing up the amps. As I walked up, the lead singer was just concluding his conversation with a girl who'd come for the show tonight, who was really star struck at the sight of the lead singer. The fact that he wasn't in a hugely popular band didn't seem to phase her - it was the music and his voice that had spoken to her. At least, that what she'd said to him in the final words of their conversation as I got closer.

The singer Zach - who introduced himself and his band toward the end of their set - thanked her for attending before turning to me. "Hey there, man. Thanks for coming out," he said, extending a hand for a shake.

"Of course. I was in the area and thought I'd come in. You guys seem to be pretty popular around here."

He took the hand I'd just let go of and ran it through his hair. "Yeah, a lot of these guys are our friends, but we've been playing all around the city for six years so I guess we've picked up some fans over time."

"Six years? How old are you guys? I wouldn't think more than 19," I added, shocked.

"Actually, I'm 21. The rest of the guys are either 21 or 20. We're young, but we've been playing together since high school and just decided to keep it going while we're all in school," he added, sheepishly. I totally got where he was coming from, being young in music usually translated to inexperience or inability to create music.

"Don't sweat it. I thought you guys were great. Really great, actually."

"Thanks - uh - sorry, I didn't catch your name..."

"Blaine."

"Oh, cool. Thanks Blaine," he added before looking away when one of his band members called to him from off-stage. "Sorry man, I gotta get going..."

I stopped him. "Don't even worry about it. But do you guys have a card or anything? I know some people in the business and I'd love to have your contact information just in case."

He lit up at the possibility of me knowing someone in the business. I wasn't going to tell him thatIwas in the business myself; I'd made that mistake once and it resulted in a restraining order and a boss who insisted that I run new bands through him before announcing who I was. Zach reached into his back pocket and produced a business card and handed it to me. "Here you go! It has our booking agent, manager, and our website too. I've gotta jet, but thanks for checking out our show, Blaine," he added before being whisked away to help pack up the band's van.

I waved to Lauren at the bar and made my way out the door. Once I was down the block, I dialed my boss' phone number. I knew he wouldn't answer - it was nearly 11 and he was probably asleep already - so this voicemail would have to do.

"Hey Clark, it's Blaine. I just checked out this band in Brooklyn and I think I might have found something great. They're called Atticus Finch. Check them out when you get in since I'm sure you'll be at your desk by 7am as usual and I won't come straggling in until 9." I laughed at that part. He was always an early riser and he knew that I struggled to make it in by 9 most mornings, so he was always busting my chops about it. "Let's talk about them Wednesday when you're back from Boston, cool? See ya."

I took a look again at the band's card - which had a photo of the cover of To Kill A Mockingbird on it - and read the contacts for the band. I didn't think anything of it, until one name stared back at me. One that I hadn't read in years.

Well, this could get interesting.

KURT

Wes decided to do dinner with a bunch of his friends from law school, which meant I would have the apartment to myself that night. Even though I hadn't seen Wes in a few weeks, I actually appreciated the space. It gave me time to process my soon-to-be new job that I was starting on Friday and the fact that I just signed myself up for an online dating site. You'd think I would want to take the time to actually hunker down and think through these monumental life changes I had just submitted myself to, but instead, I was captivated by the magic of TLC and its bridal-based television shows.

As my eyes flickered to the marathon of Say Yes To The Dress that was blaring from the TV, I shook my head. I still couldn't believe that I signed myself up for a dating site. Then again, is it really that weird that I had? I'm spending a Tuesday night at home, alone, watching repeats of Say Yes To The Dress. Clearly, I'm living on the edge.

I watched as Randy tried to dissuade yet another bride out of a huge, fluffy ball gown and decided that I was bored enough to actually peruse the site I just joined. I went back to my room, grabbed my laptop, and came back out to the couch. I might as well take a peek and see what kinds of guys I might find on this dating site since my night wasn't going to become any more exciting. I logged in and just stared at the screen for awhile. Where should I even begin?

I scrolled to the search bar and looked at the searchable fields. Seemed pretty standard, so I gave it a whirl.

Preference.Guys who like guys. Obviously.
Age range.25-30. I have a rule against dating younger guys - did that once and it was a disaster. And if I dated a guy that was too old, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have much in common.
Borough.I had to think about this one. Sure, I could eliminate some of the outer boroughs - definitely didn't want to go all the way to Westchester to meet some guy - but should I rule out Queens or Brooklyn? I guess for the time being, I'll limit it to Manhattan just to see where that would go.
Height.I'm not too picky, so 5'7" to 6'1'". That seems reasonable, right? I definitely couldn't date someone who was a giant like Finn or someone who was tiny like Mercedes. Wes was 5'7" and he didn't seem too short to me, so that height would be the threshold of what was the shortest I'd go.
Eye color.Does it really matter?
Hair color.Seriously? Are peoplethatshallow?
Religious Affiliation.That one made me laugh since I put down that I didn't have one, but I realized I didn't care if they were Christian, Jewish, Agnostic or worshiped the Flying Spaghetti Monster. As long as they were fine with my beliefs, I'd be fine with theirs.

There were more searchable fields, but I figured I'd start with this and see where it took me. The site made it convenient and organized potential matches based on their percentage of match to you from greatest percentage to lowest. Once I added in the searchable fields, it limited the pool of matches, though it certainly didn't feel like it. Because after I clicked the submit button, the next page netted me thousands of results.

Thousands.

Okay, so maybe this wouldn't be a total wash after all.

I tweaked the search a bit to narrow things down, like adding that I wanted someone who lived within 2 miles from my apartment in Chelsea, someone with no kids, and someone who liked animals. Thankfully, that decreased the number of matches significantly to a few hundred and that seemed a little less daunting to me.

I looked through the matches at the top of the list and some of them were definitely cute based on their pictures alone. I clicked on the first match they had for me - which came in at 94%. Those odds seemed good.

Name: James.No red flags yet.
Occupation: Financial Analyst.Oh god, that could mean that he's boring. Then again, would it really set me up with someone boring at a 94% match?
Age: 30.Not too old, though he's at the top of my dating range. Probably has his life together at the very least.
Borough: Chelsea.The guy could have lived down the street from me for all I knew. Then again, a lot of gay guys lived in Chelsea these days...
Height: 6'0"
Religious Affiliation: Catholic.Interesting...

I looked at his photo with more detail. God, this guy was really attractive. He was slightly tan, blonde hair styled classically like John F. Kennedy's had been, with perfect, pearly teeth radiating behind full lips. His eyes were lighter, the actual color not obvious from the photo though I sensed that they were probably a swirl of colors like mine were. He was wearing a well-structured button up with a red skinny tie and charcoal gray slacks. I could tell he knew how to dress - thank god.

Could this guy be any more perfect? Oh, right. I still hadn't read his profile information. He could be a total creep and I was quick to want to message him based off a photo and basic information. Simmer down, Kurt.

Do you drink?: I'm known to kick a few back from time to time.Okay, so not an alcoholic. That's good.
Do you smoke?: Only cigars for celebrations.Cigars? Classy.
Do you do drugs?: No thanks.Can't go wrong there.
Are you a morning or an evening person?: Mornings. I like to get in a good run in the park first thing in the morning before I embark on my day. It's refreshing.Perfect. Well, I'm not up early because I go running, but at least we both would be up early. We? Am I already putting us in the 'we' category? Jesus, I am delusional.
What's your ideal vacation?: Skiing in Aspen.I'm not a skier, but I would probably be if he taught me. I bet he could teach me... teach me lots of things. Oh god, there goes my mind in the gutter again.
Do you think you want to have kids?: As of now, no. I'm really focused on my career and I want to be satisfied with that before I bring kids into the equation.At least he's honest. I'm not sold on the idea of kids either way, so that's not a deal breaker.

Oh goody, the long answer parts. So far, I'd definitely want to message him, but we'll see what happens with this section. I crossed my fingers and eyed my way down his profile – hoping to find nothing incriminating so I could just message the guy already. Scrolling past James' photo, my eyes fell on his write-up of himself.

My name is James and I'm originally from Birmingham, Alabama but I don't have the bumpkin accent. I moved to New York when a business opportunity availed itself in the city and even though New York isn't quite like The South, I still like it here. I work for an investment company and have been for six years and I love what I do. Sure, it may seem boring, but it suits me.

I don't get to the movies or to concerts often, but when I do get to the movies I love to watch action movies and thrillers. For music, I listen to mostly top 40 and occasionally Country, but I don't really have a preference either way. I have a dog, Tide, and he and I love to run in Central Park every morning. There's nothing more refreshing than time outdoors while most of the city is still sleeping – even in the city that never sleeps.

If you're interested, please message me. I hope you won't regret it.

Not bad. It's kind of vague, but I guess that's what dates are for, right? But based on these few things, how are we even such a compatible match? I skipped ahead to see why the internet bots would match us so highly even though the guy didn't seem as much like me as I thought.

Ah, bingo.

What kinds of activities would you ideally like to share with your partner?
I'm outdoorsy and a foodie, so the perfect weekend would be hiking or biking and ending the day at an amazing restaurant, preferably a farm-to-table type place. I would also want him to enjoy shopping since I really enjoy perusing the collections at some of the shops off Fifth Avenue.

The guy likes shopping! Would it be too weird for us to have a first date on Fifth Avenue? I can ignore the part about the hiking or biking for now knowing that he might like shopping as much as I do. My eyes peered at the next section and I was practically salivating at the thought of this guy.

How would you describe your personal style or appearance?
I'm very into menswear and the "sartorial arts" – most of my wardrobe comes from places like Billy Reid, Sid Mashburn (my favorite clothier who, unfortunately, doesn't have a shop in New York), and occasionally Barney's. I'm originally from Alabama, so my style tends to be more conservative and preppy since that's how Daddy raised me to dress.

Okay, this guy is pretty perfect. Back in high school, I definitely favored the more preppy, clean-cut guys and this guy definitely fit the bill.

But I wondered if I would be his type. Guys like that tended not to go for guys like me who walked the fine line between overtly masculine and delicate. I refused to ever call myself feminine because there was nothing about me that was remotely feminine, but my dad once said I had a more "delicate" fashion sense. I adapted that frame of mind and vague "definition" of myself - even though my dad probably had no idea what he was talking about.

I figured the only way I'd know if I was this guy's type would be to message him. I didn't want to divulge my entire life story, but I definitely could manage to drop him a line to say hi and that I'd love to hear from him. That's totally normal, right?

I typed up a couple of sentences saying hello and asking him to check out my profile if he was interested before signing my name and clicking send. It felt weird to email someone for a potential date rather than try to establish a connection in person or at least through a mutual friend, but I guess this will work in the meantime. I never thought I'd meet the guy of my dreams online, but maybe some things are better off not going as planned.