CHAPTER 5

Once they were both back in New York, the best of intentions gave way to reality.  Kurt was working three jobs, had a full class load, and private lessons plus the occasional audition.  The leadership of Adam's Apples had also fallen to him, and he felt he owed it to Adam not to let it fall to pieces.  Blaine had officially added a second minor, and was taking the maximum number of hours permitted by the university, plus he had practice and private lessons for his various instruments, and band practice.  They managed to meet a couple of times a week for coffee most weeks, and to accept that even then they would both be likely to be distracted and perhaps busy, studying while holding hands, drinking coffee and sharing something sweet.  Actual dates, however, were harder.  Friday and Saturday nights were out because of Blaine's band, and most other nights found them both too busy.  They managed a real date only about once every two or three weeks.

“The entire world is conspiring against us,” Kurt grumbled one afternoon over coffee as they both looked at their schedules, discovering it would be another week and a half before they could go out for an evening.

Blaine smiled and squeezed his hand.  “Slow,” he reminded.

“I know, but I want us to determine what that means, not our calendars,” Kurt complained.  “It's official.  I hate the stupid calendar app on my phone.”

Blaine laughed.  He missed the time together too.  But as much as they said they were starting over from scratch, they had both learned from the mistakes they made the first time.  Blaine was less demanding of Kurt's time, not that he had any more than Kurt did.  Kurt was more responsive to Blaine, and made sure that no matter what was going on at school or work, he called Blaine and made time to talk every day.  They texted several times a day, but recognized that school or work would probably delay the response, although they each made certain that they did respond.  Overall, they were building a strong foundation for their relationship, brick by brick, starting with understanding and communication.

* * *

Spring break approached.  Kurt and Blaine decided to stay in New York, catching up on classwork and trying to make extra money.  They would need it, as they had decided to move in together when summer started.  The time together without classes would also permit them to look at apartments.

Despite Blaine's parents asking him to come home for the summer and work at his father's firm, he had decided to stay in New York for the summer and go to summer school.  He would need to do so each summer if he was to graduate in a reasonable amount of time without dropping either a major or a minor.  Kurt was proud of him for standing up to them and not backing down.  However, staying in the city presented a few problems.  The dorm space for summer school students was limited at best, as many dorm rooms were devoted to the various camps held on the campus during the summer.  Blaine applied for a position as a counselor at one of the music camps that ran several sessions covering most of the summer hoping to get a dorm room that way.  He got the job, but not the dorm space.  So the good news was he had an extra source of income for the summer and could be more independent and rely on his parents less.  The bad news was that he would essentially be homeless.

Kurt, with the approval of his three adult roommates, had extended an invitation to stay with them, but it was already crowded in the loft, with Rachel, Finn, Santana, and Stephen there in addition to Kurt.  Kurt adored his nephew, but he had to admit that attempting to study or sleep with a baby around was sometimes a lost cause.  One night when Stephen had an ear infection and spent most of the day screaming, with no end in sight, Kurt had resorted to texting Blaine to ask about the couch in the lounge at the dorm.  Blaine considered the offer anyway; he really did.  It would be a good temporary solution if he was going to go back to the dorms next year, but it wouldn't work for anything long term.  And he had nightmare visions of five adults, two per “bedroom” plus one in the “living room,” trying to sleep, have privacy, use the bathroom in the morning or before bed in the evening, or God forbid, actually be intimate with his or her significant other.  And as much as he wanted a family someday, living with a baby wasn't something he was ready for, especially since said baby's mother seemed to regard anyone living with her as part of a free babysitting service.  He would stay with them as a last resort; it was better than a cardboard box, after all, but decided he would try to get a summer sublet or, if he decided not to live in the dorms next year, maybe a longer term lease.

For the time being, he continued to live on Rob and Mike's floor, as the requested room change hadn't come through.  Mike would be graduating in May and moving out, and Blaine and Rob discussed requesting each other as roommates.  However, the situation changed when Rob proposed to his girlfriend.  She accepted, and suggested living together during their senior year.  Given how this year had gone, Blaine was hesitant to just reenter the roommate pool; he might end up with someone even worse than Brendan, if that was possible.

The final straw came just before spring break.  Blaine had gone to his room to get some clothes he had left.  He had to wait almost an hour before a giggling girl exited the room and Brendan reached out to remove the tie on the door handle.  It was two in the afternoon.  Blaine entered to find his roommate stretched out on his bed, clad only in a pair of boxers.  “Blaine, man, long time no see.  Just to give you a heads up, I already filled out my housing forms for next year and turned them in.  I requested you as a roommate again.  You're the best.  Most of my friends get so much flak from their roommates about girls, but you're so cool about it.  They all wish you were their roommate.”

Blaine didn't say anything, just shook his head in disbelief, grabbed the jacket and shirts he had come to get, and left.  As he left the dorm, he texted Kurt.  Looking for apartment over break.  Dorms out for next year.

Kurt got the text as he was fighting with Rachel.  She had told Finn Kurt would watch Stephen and had gone out to practice at the theater, as she thought that the lead sounded hoarse the night before and was hoping she would call in sick.  Finn was at class, having gotten into Brooklyn College as a music education major.  Santana was working, and Kurt had to go to class.  He'd only stopped by the apartment to shower and grab lunch, since he had a long break after a grueling dance class, and before his much less sweaty afternoon classes.  Finn had been home when he'd gotten there, but he emerged from the bathroom to find Stephen crying in his crib and all the adults gone.  Now he was trying to force Rachel to come take care of her child so he could go to class.

As soon as he hung up on Rachel after telling her he was bringing Stephen to the theater, he gathered the baby and the necessary equipment and left.  He returned Blaine's text while waiting for the subway.  Want a roommate?  I need to get out of here.  He wasn't sure what Blaine's response would be, as they were still in a fairly innocent stage of their new relationship, physically.

As he stepped onto the train, his phone buzzed.  He saw a new text from Blaine.  We should talk.  Coffee tomorrow at 3?  Usual place.

Kurt responded, agreeing to the proposed meeting.  He was slightly nervous.  This could be good or bad.  It could be about going forward with their relationship, or ending it, although he thought it was going well.  It could simply be discussing the relationship, or maybe just talking about apartments.  He would try to feel Blaine out when they spoke before bed.

That evening, Blaine could tell Kurt was not in a good mood.  When he tried to sound Kurt out about what was wrong, Kurt responded shortly, “I can't talk about it now.  The walls here, aren't.”  If he was saying what Blaine thought he was saying, Blaine had a pretty good idea why Kurt proposed moving in together.  Kurt never got around to exploring what Blaine meant by his text; there were too many people home and no privacy.

The next day, Blaine began tentatively, “So what are you thinking, you know, about moving in together . . . .”

Kurt replied, “It can be what you want it to be, or whatever you need it to be.  I can go at your pace.  If you want to go back to, um, where we were, before, um, everything that happened, we can do that.  If you just want to be roommates, we can do that too.  If you want we can even try to find a two bedroom somewhere.  I'm not picky.  I just need to get out of there.  Don't get me wrong, I love my nephew, but he's not the quietest or most considerate roommate.  And I didn't father a child, a concept said child's parents seem to be unclear on, at least when it comes to whose responsibility it is to care for him.”

Blaine smiled.  “Okay.  I don't think I'm really ready to go back to, um, having sex, at least not yet.”  At Kurt's slightly distressed look, he said quickly, “Which doesn't mean I, we, won't get there eventually.  And I think as long as we can agree on what we are and are not willing to do at any given time, and respect each other's boundaries, we can share a room, and,” he added, blushing, “a bed.”

Kurt smiled and reached across the table to hold his hand.  “So, when do you want to look?  And where?”

Blaine responded with a question.  “Are you staying in town for the break?”

“Yeah,” Kurt answered.  “I've got a couple of class projects to catch up on, and I need to work as much as possible, and Isabelle is planning a huge new thing on the website.”

“Mmm.  What?  Or is it a secret?”  Blaine asked.

“I don't really know,” Kurt told him.  “It's Isabelle.  When something does get produced, it will be brilliant, but until it just morphs into something spectacular, no one really knows what exactly it is we're doing, including Isabelle.”

“Okay,” Blaine laughed.  “Fair enough.  I'm staying in town too.  The band has a couple of gigs, I have a ton of homework and studying to do, and I was kind of hoping we'd get to have maybe two dates in one week.”

“Whoa, there, big fella.  Going awfully fast, aren't we?”  Kurt teased.

Blaine ignored him and continued, “So, if we can find time, I was thinking maybe we could look for a place during the break.  As for where, somewhere in Manhattan would certainly be the most convenient for us both, but it's also the most expensive, so I guess I'm open.”

Kurt said thoughtfully, “Well, there is another loft in my building that's going to be available in mid-May.  It's huge and cheap, and we can do anything to the interior, but it does have one major drawback.”

“Which is?”  Blaine prompted.

“Rachel.  If we move into another apartment in the building, it means everyone gets more space and pays more rent, but it also means she'll keep using us as free twenty-four hour-a-day babysitters,” Kurt explained, going on to tell the story behind the text offering to room with Blaine.

“Right.  So the loft in your building is right out,” Blaine said, “And anywhere within easy walking distance is probably not a good idea, either.”

Kurt laughed.  “Okay, let's start with Manhattan and see what we can find.  We might have to be pretty cozy, but hopefully that'll be okay.”

“Sounds good.  I'll start looking at listings.  Fortunately, on campus housing isn't cheap, and my parents will contribute at least that much, probably some more.  They don't want me living someplace awful, although they also don't want me living like a CEO while I'm in college,” Blaine said.  Kurt squirmed a little.  Blaine's parents had money, both new and old, and Blaine had a significant trust fund, as well as his college fund, but would not have full access to the trust fund until he had both graduated from college and turned twenty five.  Kurt was a little uncomfortable with the idea that Blaine might pay a disproportionate share of the rent; however, he appeased himself with the thought that he could pick up more of the chores to make up for it, especially cooking, unless Blaine's skills in the kitchen had improved significantly during their time apart.

Which was how they found themselves on the first Saturday of spring break, armed with metro cards and a stack of apartment listings, meeting with building managers and real estate agents.  They looked at apartment after apartment until, exhausted, and with the prospect of going to work that evening, they collapsed in a small booth in a coffee shop, coffee, blueberry muffins, and notes spread across the table between them.

“What about that place in the East Village?”  Blaine asked.  “It's kind of far, but near transportation and closer than you are now.” 

“Nope.  Too expensive, not to mention the fact that it was tiny.  I mean, I know we're going to have a small space, but I was hoping my entire apartment would be at least as big as my parents' kitchen.  Where would we put your instruments?”  Kurt replied.  “How about the one in Chinatown?  You know you love your Chinese food.”

“Nah.  Too crowded, too many tourists, not to mention barely bigger than the one in the Village, although it was cheaper.  And did you get a whiff when the wind shifted?  Having the fish market across the street may be more than I can stand.”  Blaine answered.  “Yorkville?  It's quiet and private.”

“And far from the subway and we don't have cars here.  I don't have one at all.  And there's too much construction.”  Kurt said.  “What about the one in Morningside Heights?”

“It was nice, but it was two bedrooms and we said we only needed one, so we'd be paying for a room we don't really need, but I did like the light, and the living and dining area would be good for my instruments.  And it's an easy walk to Columbia, but what about for you?  It's not close to NYADA.”  Blaine pointed out.

“It's closer than I am now, and we'd save on transportation costs if you didn't need to take the subway, and the neighborhood's pretty nice, lots of parks to walk in,” Kurt told him, rubbing his toes along Blaine's calf to make his point.

“We should at least discuss the others.  We looked at two in Washington Heights.  What did you think of them?”  Blaine inquired.

“Uh-uh.”  Kurt said, “The first one just felt like we were out of the city, in the suburbs.  Maybe I'll change my mind later, but right now I love being in the city where everything's busy and alive.”

“Kurt, it was next to the last natural forest in Manhattan.  How is that not alive?”

“Do I look like Davy Crockett to you, Blaine?”  Kurt shot back.  “How many times have we gone camping?  That's right, none,” he said answering his own question.  “I am not a forest person.”

Blaine sighed, “What was wrong with the second place?”

“The building manager kept looking at us like he thought we were dirty or something.  He didn't say anything, but I'm pretty sure he was homophobic.  I'm not sure he'd approve us, and anyway, we just escaped that, I don't want to buy back into it again.  What about Alphabet City?”  Kurt said.

“That place was right on the edge of Alphabet City, and the neighborhood seemed a little iffy.  And it was loud.  It was only on the second floor, and the restaurant underneath played the music so loud I could not only hear it, I could feel it through the floor.  How am I supposed to practice with that going on?”  Blaine asked.

“True,” Kurt replied.  “Which brings us back to the place in Morningside Heights, which we both kind of like.  Does it being a fifth floor walk-up bother you?”

“No.  And you're already on the fourth floor in a walk-up, so it's not that much different for you.  It's pretty tiny and there's not much storage.  Can you deal with that?”  Blaine wanted to know.

“I'll have to,” Kurt sighed.  “Everyplace we looked at was pretty small, although the one in the East Village was the worst.  Assuming we don't decide to get a third roommate at some point, we can use the extra bedroom for storage or maybe have a guestroom.  But we can afford it on our own, I think.”

“Third roommate?”  Blaine asked, eyebrows raised.

“Well, we planned on just Rachel and I, and look how that turned out,” Kurt pointed out.  “That being said, I'm looking forward to it being just us.  Hell, I'm looking forward to anything that remotely resembles privacy and a baby-free zone.  I want kids someday, but today is not that day.”

“Have you told Rachel you're moving out?”  Blaine inquired.

“We talked about it.  She's not happy to be losing a paying roommate, because now they'll all pay more, but it's still less per person than when it was just the two of us.  We only had a few short, peaceful weeks before Santana showed up.  And she's definitely not pleased about losing her on-call free babysitter.  But she understands, or at least claims to.  We even talked about whether it made more sense to have she and Finn move out, but the loft is convenient for him for school, and with Stephen, they need the space.”  Kurt explained.

They went on to discuss leases and deposits, and called the building manager to make arrangements for signing paperwork and moving in.  They called their parents and told them, then exchanged quick kisses before leaving for work.

* * *

  Blaine called Kurt the next morning with the news that his parents had given them a house warming gift of money to help furnish their new apartment.  Kurt was immensely grateful.  Although he had located and purchased most of the furniture in he and Rachel's apartment, he didn't think she'd part with it willingly, not because she liked it, but because she didn't want to have to replace it.  And, truthfully, he wasn't too attached to much of it.  They would still have to budget their purchases, but they wouldn't be sitting on the floor or fighting Rachel for furniture.  That afternoon, over lunch, they discussed what they would need.

“Is there anything in my apartment you want to take?”  He asked Blaine.  “I was thinking the wingback chair that I reupholstered and my bed.”

“Hmm.  Not the bed.  We'll buy a new one.  The chair is fine.”  Blaine said in a tone that did not invite discussion.

“Why not the bed?  It's perfectly good, and . . . ,” Kurt said, trailing off as he met Blaine's gaze and suddenly figured out what his objection to the bed was.  “Oh.  Right.  We'll buy a new bed.”

“What about the dining table?”  Blaine asked. 

“I think it's too big for the new space.  We could make it fit if we had to, but we'd have to put your cello under or on it all the time, and shove the table against the wall for you to practice.  Or you could give up cello,” Kurt told him.  At Blaine's stricken expression, Kurt laughed.  “I didn't think so.”

The rest of the day was spent shopping.  Both agreed to go new for the bed, which used up half of their money.  They searched antique stores and flea markets for a couch and a new, smaller dining table and chairs.  They had a little bit of money left over after buying the furniture and arranging for delivery, so Blaine insisted on buying new linens for the bed.  Kurt pointed out that it was, like his current bed, a full size, so they could use his linens, but a repeat of the look from earlier made him drop his argument.  Kurt knew they would still need some lamps and at least an end table and a bedside table, but he could shop for them on his own later.

That night, they went out to dinner, Kurt bubbling over with plans for their new place, and Blaine smiling happily while he listened.  They found a theater that showed vintage films and saw an old Rock Hudson/Doris Day movie.  They kissed goodnight sweetly outside Blaine's dorm, where he was finally getting to use his own room, since Brendan was gone for the break.  It was a wonderful start to the week.

* * *

The rest of spring break was spent working and studying, for the most part.  They managed to have coffee or lunch together each day, and Blaine's plan for two real dates materialized when they managed to go out together Wednesday night.