So clearly my line breaks aren't working...I'm looking into that. I hope it isn't too confusing!
Thanks to all of you for reading and your feedback and follows, etc. I thrive on comments, and if you have any ideas to throw out there, by all means do so!
Thanks to Curlygleek for the pm...and for bringing it to my attention that being "ate up" is apparently an American slang thing that isn't understood by all. In my dialogue, if I say you're "ate up" I mean you're being goofy, weird, totally moronic, in a silly way, of course.
I love, love, love any and all correspondence with readers / writers. Send me a message any time. I answer everything!
Hope I can keep your attention for another chapter!
CHAPTER 11
He'd given in and hailed a cab when he realized how late he was. It was only 8 blocks, but he didn't relish the thought of running the 8 blocks and showing up to work looking like he'd been through the ringer. He sat back for the short ride and closed his eyes. Just then his phone buzzed with an incoming text.
8:07 p from Jeff: Blaine!
8:07 p from Blaine: Oh God…..
8:08 p from Jeff: No, it's me, but close enough. You workin?
8:09 p from Blaine: On my way, but I'm so late. Grabbed a cab.
8:10 p from Jeff: YOU'RE late? You're never late? What happened?
8:11 p from Blaine: We're back to Oh God, now….
8:12 p from Jeff: I feel a story coming on, and if it made you actually late getting somewhere, this ought to be good!
8:13 p from Blaine: Running into work, will call you at break.
8:13 p from Jeff: You better! Dying to know what's going on now!
Blaine sprinted down the stairs into the bar. There were a few patrons already there, but not many. It's too early in the evening for the partyers to be out in full force yet. He headed back into the break room to his locker and slipped off his jacket. Suddenly, the craziness of what happened overwhelmed him and he sat down at the table and put his head on his hands that are resting on the table in front of him.
"You ok man?" Nick asks. Blaine just shakes his head without raising up. "You wanna talk about it?"
"Oh my GOD, no…I'd sooner gouge my eye out with a spoon!" he said, completely red from the tips of his ears to his toes.
"That good, huh? Interesting. So I'm gonna sit here and annoy you and stare at you until you spill it, 'cause in the month I've known you, I've never seen you rattled at all…..ok, except for that first night when Davina licked your face….."
"Nick, seriously, have you ever done something….not even that….had something happen that threw you for a loop so much that you…..you can't….you don't even know….oh my God!" Blaine whined. He still hadn't raised his head off of his arms.
"Blaine, ok, is everything ok? You're ok, right? Not harmed or ill?" Nick said, seriously. "I can't tell, man, you're hiding and for all I know you could be sobbing or really in trouble here…."
"No…no, I'm good…not good but…not bad…until I get home and run into my neighbor again. Oh God, I have to move. This is awful….holy fucking God, what WAS that?" he squealed. Nick sat there, motionless, his eyebrows raised, and just stared at Blaine quietly. Finn strolled in and yelled out "Blaine! Whatup dude?" Blaine just groaned. Finn looked at Nick and Nick just shook his head and shrugged.
"What's going on? Did I miss something?" Finn asked.
"Nope, you didn't miss anything yet. He's all bent up, won't tell me why, but I'm not leaving until I get the story, cause I can feel that this is going to be epic, whatever it is!" Finn sat down at the table next to Nick and across from Blaine. "I'm in….."
"Oh my God, guys, I can't possibly look you in the eye and tell you this story, I'll never be able to look at you again. NEVER, do you understand me?" Blaine whined in his best dramatic fashion.
"Ok, so don't look at us. Keep your head down and just spill it, then we'll tell you what to do and how to handle it and you can chill. As it is, you're no good to us all wound up like this, so you need to get it all off your chest so we can rock the house tonight. Think of it as a team building exercise!"
"You're just being nosy" Blaine whined again.
"Yes, that too. Now what the hell has you so rattled up?" Nick said with a smirk.
"Ok, on one condition. I tell you and you give me advice and we never….I mean NEVER speak of it again. Deal?"
"Deal" Nick and Finn said in unison.
Blaine kept his head down, hoping it would make the whole thing less embarrassing and started from the beginning trying to put the whole thing into a nutshell and failing miserably. He was babbling and rambling on, and he knew it, but he didn't care. There was too much to get out in a short time and one piece didn't make sense without the other so he just blurted it all out in the end.
"Ok, so he was just there, on the sidewalk and unfuckingbelievablybeautiful and I can't stop thinking about him and it keeps me up at night and the dreams….oh GOD the dreams…. and he makes me daydream, too, and walk out into traffic and I've written 5 songs in a month….and oh God, so beautiful it makes me …just…..ok, so then I moved in and there's nobody there but me and they said someone was living across the hall but nobody's there, so I thought he was dead but he's away on business and then I heard loud girls cackling in the other apartment so it's going to be noisy and then he was practically fucking this guy on the stairs and he winked and I was…I was….I was thinking of the guy on the sidewalk and about fucking him on the stairs over and over and I knew I could never walk to work in that state and so I knew I had to fix it and I was rushing and God….so good….what I see this man doing with his mouth and…..omg, I was hurrying and the tissues and all that and then I knocked him down, he was DOWN there, and he said 'I'm Sebastian' and I said 'I'm Blaine' and he…oh my God he smelled his fingers and licked his teeth and I got a cab and here I am."
Unbeknownst to Blaine, during his story Joe and Allyse had sauntered into the room, being shushed by Nick. Finn was sitting there, unmoving, mouth agape, still trying to process everything. Nick was smirking. Allyse and Joe were dumbfounded, but staring, because that was a lot of information to take in, even if none of it made a lick of good sense to anyone in the room.
"Ok, so….um…wait…." Nick began.
Blaine let out a half sob, half wail and shook his head, which was still resting on his folded arms.
"I know, screwed up, huh?" Blaine asked.
"I'll take your word for it…." Nick said. Finally Blaine looked up and saw the four of them staring at him like he'd lost his mind.
"Oh God….." he half laughed. "Yeah…so…..that's it."
He was met with silence and blank stares.
"Seriously, you got nothin'?" he asked. Again, blank stares.
Finally Allyse spoke up. "Ok, let me get this straight…You met some guy on the sidewalk?"
"I didn't meet him, he was just…there…being stunning" Blaine said.
"Ok, so you saw a guy, and you can't get him out of your head, but you haven't seen him since then?"
"Correct…."
"And now your fellow tenants are moving into their respective spots and you're afraid it's going to be loud?"
"uh huh…."
"And this guy came home today, and screwed someone on the stairs on the way to his door and he caught you looking?"
"Ugh…"
Nick snickered….."Ok, I follow now….and you got all worked up listening to them practically fuck each other on the stairs because you were thinking about screwing the hot stranger dude, and had to shoot a load in order to be able to walk here, which you didn't do anyway because you were late….why?"
"Yeah, you lose me there, too." Allyse said.
"Oh God….the guy….the guy was in the downstairs hallway when I was leaving…the dude that lives across the hall…,the winking guy! And I was trying so hard to avoid him that I slammed right into him! And we shook hands and exchanged names and he….he…. oh holy shit!" Blaine said, dropping his head again.
"Heeeeee…what?" Finn prompted.
"Hesmelledhisfingersandheknew !"
"Oh no he did not!" Allyse said, scandalized.
"I swear he did….and he did this…" Blaine mumbled, but then looked up and did the teeth licking thing.
"Aaaagggghhhhhh!" Allyse screeched and jumped up and down shaking her arms crazily.
"And then he asked me…..he said…."
"Yeah? He what? Oh my God man, spit it out!" Nick screamed.
"He said 'wasitasgoodforyouasitwasform e?'and walked away…."
The room erupted into guffaws and sqeals. Even Joe was laughing riotously.
"Ok, so go get that spoon now, and I'll start on my right eye….." Blaine deadpanned.
"Oh. My. God. That is the freaking BEST story EVER, dude!" Nick squealed.
"Ok, ok, so advice….never speak of it….etc, etc.!" Blaine groaned trying to look irritated.
"I got nothin'", Joe said, smirking. "But I'm telling my wife that story tonight, mark my words. That's the best thing I've heard in a long time!"
Blaine looked at each of them, each one at a loss for words.
"Ok, lemme think on this tonight. We'll talk before you head home, ok?" Nick offered.
"Fair enough"
"Oh, and Blaine?" Nick said with a wicked grin….."go wash your hands, ok?" and he burst out laughing and walked onto the stage.
8888888
"Ok, so this guy you saw," Allyse began at their break, "you don't know who he is? No idea?
"None at all. I'm not stupid enough to think I'll ever see him again, but the guy just haunts me…..asleep…awake….all the time! I've never, in all my life, seen anyone as handsome, as beautiful, as refined, as radiant and perfect…."
"Oh Blaine…you've got it BAD, and over someone you don't know. Awwww, baby…what are you going to do?" Allyse asked, looking sympathetic.
"Pining away nightly doesn't count?" Blaine smirked.
"Afraid not, honey" she said with a scrunch of her nose.
Nick sauntered in and dropped down in the chair. "I got nothin' man. I can't begin to know what to do with this guy across the hall. That's uncharted territory for me, even…I mean, I've known some really crazy gay guys, but that's …..that's just so far out there that I don't know where to go with it."
"Ugggghhhhh! Guys, what am I going to dooooo? I feel like I can't go home….I don't want to run into him! Did I mention he said and did all this and that other guy was probably still in his apartment in post coital bliss? Who DOES that?"
His phone buzzed then and he realized he forgot to call or text Jeff at break. Jeff's face appeared on his screen signaling it was him.
12:22 a from Jeff: Pouting. Someone forgot about me!
12:22 a from Blaine: Bud, I didn't…..I'm just overwhelmed.
12:23 a from Jeff: So what's going on? You got time?
12:24 a from Blaine: No, we go back on in 6 minutes…..I'll have to tell you this one on the phone anyway. What are you plans tomorrow?
12:25 a from Jeff: I'm all yours. Not doing anything I can't put on hold to talk. You ok?
12:26 a from Blaine: I'm fine, just confused. You'll get a real kick out of this, believe me.
12:27 a from Jeff: Ok, then, I'll talk to you tomorrow, man. Careful getting home tonight!
12:27 a from Blaine: Will do, bro!
12:29 a from Jeff: Wait, they're not licking you again, are they? bwahahahahahahaha
Blaine closed the text message and his wallpaper came back up to the phone screen. It was a photo of him, Jeff and Trent in their Warbler uniforms from back in the day. He suddenly felt that someone was behind him, and turned his head to see Nick staring intently at his phone over his shoulder.
"Who is THAT beautiful creature?! Shit, Blaine, you've been holding out on me, keeping a total Greek God to yourself, you jerk!" Nick murmured quietly. He looked slightly stunned.
"Which one?"
"Hello….beautiful….blonde…..beautiful…..tall….beautiful…..wicked sexy ass smile….beauti…."
"Ok, I get it! You think Jeff is beautiful!" he grinned.
"Can you get that picture to turn around so I can see the back?"
"Can I what? OH! What? You're insane, Nick!" Blaine laughed out loud.
"Oh my god, he's…he's…wow. Tell me the boy is….is…..Oh God, please don't be straight….. "
"Hmmm….well, my friend, you're in luck!" Blaine grinned madly back at Nick over his shoulder. Then he returned to his pouting over the mystery man on the sidewalk.
"Yeah, well at least you can have a name with that face. All I have is a face and a memory!"
"Don't forget a horny neighbor across the hall." Nick smirked.
Blaine turned the phone and took a photo of a cheesy smiling Nick before he knew what was going on. He quickly set out to send it to Jeff.
"What did you do that for?" Nick asked, oblivious.
12:29 a from Blaine [attachment] BTW Nick says hello beautiful!
"BLAINE! You didn't do that for real, did you? Oh my God, man! You're insane!"
"And you're so cute when you're totally freaking out over a guy!" Blaine laughed.
12:30 a from Jeff: Well Hellooooooo Nick! Dayummmmmmmm…
12:31 a from Blaine: Ok, we're officially late to the stage….later man! Hahahahahahaha
12:31 a from Jeff: No no no no no….don't go NOW! Blaine…
12:32 a from Blaine: Gotta go do my piano man thing…text you later. You can just sit there and lust after a photo for a few hours.
12:32 a from Jeff: Revenge is sweet, Blaine, that was evil! Tell me about him!
12:34 a from Jeff: Blaaaaaainnnneeeeeeeee…so unfair.
12:40 a from Jeff: Wow….he's hot, why didn't you tell me he was that hot? Holding out on your best bud?
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11: 01 a from Jeff: Now THIS is just rudeness. How can you send me a slice of heaven, TELL me "a few hours" as if you're going to text me when you get off work, and then NOT text me? Evil!
12:14 p from Jeff: Dude?
1:27 p from Jeff: I'm getting a complex here Blainers L Where are you?