CHAPTER 2

2 WEEKS LATER…..

Blaine and Cooper were being led down the sidewalk on a quiet, one-way street with cars parked on both sides. The sandy haired man in his early 20's spoke quickly with an almost exaggerated New York accent. "It's actually my mom's building" said the man showing them the apartment. He had introduced himself as Kyle Raymond when they'd spoken on the phone to set up an appointment. He was about the same height at Cooper, with dirty blonde hair in one of those messy styles that Blaine always wished he could pull off but was never able to with his curls. He looked as if he'd been, perhaps, working on something….blue jeans, a t-shirt with a flannel shirt thrown over it, the sleeves ripped off, and steel toed boots. Very cute, and manly, but Blaine's gaydar wasn't buzzing too loudly. Pity.

"She's, for lack of a better word, confused much of the time. She means well, but my sisters and I try to keep an eye on things with her….for her….you know how elderly people get. She wants to do it all on her own, but sometimes…well…..anyway, here we are!" he said, hopping up a few steps, opening the door and ushering them inside a huge, older, weathered brick building as if they were in the front entry hall of the Taj Mahal.

Inside, the hardwood floors looked to be original to the building. They were polished to a gleaming shine and Blaine's first thought was that he'd probably slip and kill himself on these floors when it rained. He snickered at the thought, and Coop gave him an odd look. The building was in a "red" neighborhood, and Cooper approved. The rent was a lot more than he wanted to pay, but he'd been living with Coop now for more than three weeks and things were starting to feel more than strained. Cooper reminded him that he could easily BUY a place like this instead of renting, but Blaine insisted on renting first, not knowing if or where he'd find a permanent teaching job. He didn't want to be nailed down somewhere and find a job across town with a horribly long commute. He needed this place, and now that he'd found a job, although not a teaching job, he knew he could afford it, but there wouldn't be a lot left over to have a life with at the end of the day. But, he wanted his own space. After looking at so many other crappy places, he hoped this was the one.

It was a huge, old brownstone building, broken up into apartments. He would be on the second floor, the first being occupied by a small business, a law firm it looked like, and the third used by the elderly owner as storage. Storage? Really? In New York City, with what she could get for rent? Unbelievable….. "So there aren't apartments upstairs?" Blaine asked.

"No. Well, there are, I mean, with the roof and all, it's kind of like an attic I guess. A long time ago there was a guy and his wife that lived up there in a small apartment, but the other side has always been storage as long as I can remember. My mom has things up there that she refuses to get rid of….some things that were my dad's…..some things she just can't get out of there, too big, too much trouble." He said, leading them into apartment #2. His arm swept out as if making a grand gesture.

"So as you can see, we still need to finish up the details. The former tenant lived here for almost 15 years, and it's been awhile since we've been able to get in and paint or do any updating."

They walked through a very small entry foyer and into a huge expanse of space that made Blaine want to look out the window and make sure he was still in the same building. It seemed really large, and he was blown away by how much space he'd have if this worked out.

"The kitchen is through here. The remodel is almost finished!" Kyle said excitedly. Blaine followed into the new kitchen area.
"Wow, this is much nicer than I'd imagined, and certainly more than I'll ever need. Give me room for a microwave and I'm all set. I may actually have to learn to cook something!" The new kitchen was small, but certainly state of the art, it seemed. New appliances, new cabinets and counter tops. "Is this granite?" Blaine asked, amazed.

"Quartz, actually" Kyle answered. "My brother in law knows a guy….we got a sweet deal, and it's really durable…long lasting, you know."

"How many apartments on are on this floor? I saw four doors off the hallway…..can there be four apartments on this floor?"

"Three, actually, and this one's the largest by far. The fourth door is a closet. You'll find a broom and dustpan in there, probably a throw rug or two for when the weather is bad, and more than likely a few cobwebs. The apartments look like they'd be pretty small on the outside, but once you get inside, there's pretty much room to move. Will you be living here alone or….." Kyle asked, eyeing Coop with a lopsided grin.

"Huh? Oh! No, it's just me…..Coop's my brother, he has his own place. " Blaine answered. He wasn't surprised that people didn't realize they were brothers, after all, they shared the same dad, but not the same mom. Although, Blaine's mom had been Coop's mom, since he'd lost his own when he was six years old. A couple of years later their dad had married Elise, and shortly thereafter, Blaine came along, nine years younger than Coop. Coop adored him from the first day, though, and nothing had changed.

"Ok, well, there are three small bedrooms in this unit. You could use one as a bedroom and make an office in the other. The third….well, whatever you want I guess. I've tried over and over to talk mom into taking that wall down between two of the rooms, but she won't hear of it. I just think it would be a much better use of space, but she won't budge, so it is what it is I guess."
"Three bedrooms? The ad said two….I don't know what I'll do with three. Wow! " Blaine said, shocked. "Well, look at the size of them first, before you decide you'll be wallowing in extra space. I have to list it as a two bedroom because the third room doesn't have a closet or a window. Code requirements and all that….."

They walked down the hallway, finding four doors, two off of one side and two off of the other. All but one was standing open. Kyle led them into all three small bedrooms and then showed them the bathroom, which had also been remodeled and looked like a million bucks. Blaine was seriously impressed, and wondered if the price in the ad was listed correctly. He was starting to think this was too good to be true. Apparently his concern showed on his face, because Kyle asked him if there was anything wrong.
"No, really, it's great! I'm just…..I'm overwhelmed I guess. It's perfect…it's more than perfect!" Blaine meandered around the space, opening doors and looking out windows. One bedroom window looked out over the back lot, where there was space for two cars to park. The way the building was shaped, he could also see windows that apparently belonged to another apartment in the building. He could look right into the other apartment…..and that wasn't weird at all, he told himself, snickering. The other window in that bedroom overlooked the side street and the intersection the building was on. It was a fairly quiet neighborhood…as quiet as New York City ever got, he supposed.

Across the street he saw a little boy, around 4 and a little girl, probably 6, playing on the sidewalk in front of their building. A woman in her mid twenties sat on the stoop watching them color on the sidewalk with large sticks of chalk. She smiled at them and said something . Both kids turned to her and laughed, until the little girl fell backwards on her bottom and held her stomach tightly, still laughing. Blaine watched, smiling, hoping this was a good sign.
"I'll take it" he said to Kyle.
"Great! I'll get the kitchen and all the details done and you should be good to move in next weekend if that suits you?"
"Sounds great!" Blaine responded

"More than you know…" Coop smirked
"Oh come on! It hasn't been that bad, having your little brother around, has it?" Blained teased him.
Coop made a humph! Sound and rolled his eyes, laughing.
"Mom's just around the corner. Do you have time to go over a rental agreement now or would you like to do it another time?" Kyle asked?

"Now's fine. I'm excited to get going with things!"
"Wonderful, we can walk from here. It's only two blocks, if you don't mind. Mom will insist on meeting her new tenant" he smirked, rolling his eyes.
"By all means, then, let's get to it" Blaine said, heading out the door.

As they walked, Coop talked excitedly about the apartment.

"If you hadn't taken it, I would have, you know?" he said.

"What?! Trying to steal my home right out from under me? What kind of brother ARE you anyway?" Blaine feigned outrage. "You know, though, there's plenty of room if you wanted to share?" Blaine teased.

"I need my space…..no offense, but I'm pretty sure another week will do me in and I'll be throwing you and all of your shit out the window."

"Nice, man….real freakin' nice!" Blaine laughed.

"Kyle, is there a gym around here anywhere? A decent one?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, about 3 blocks up," he pointed, "it's the one I use, actually. I like it, but I'm sure it depends on what you're looking for?"
"He's looking to beat the shit out of something." Coop snickered. Kyle looked confused, then concerned and raised an eyebrow.

"Boxing….Coop…sheesh…I box, Kyle. He's such a moron….." Blaine laughed.

"I'd be happy to take you in and show you around if you want. Just say the word. " Kyle offered.

"I'll take you up on that!"

"Mom! I've brought Mr. Anderson and….er….Mr. Anderson with me. They love the place and would like to read over and sign the rental agreement!" Kyle said, loudly, to his mother.

"Son, I'm old, but I'm not deaf yet, ain't no reason to be yellin' so damn loud, ya hear?" she chided.

Kyle just rolled his eyes at Blaine and Coop and shook his head slightly. "Ok mom" he said in a normal tone of voice, 'but have the elephants been delivered for dinner yet?" he asked.

Blaine and Coop just looked at each other, both giving their "wtf" looks behind Kyle's back.
"…and how about the roast, mom….have you covered it in shampoo yet?" he asked, again at a normal volume.

Irene Raymond continued to shuffle papers around on an old wooden desk, obviously not hearing a word he said. She was looking through drawers and peeking into file folders that were piled so high she could barely reach the ones on top. Kyle turned to them and rolled his eyes.
"Have you found it, mom?" Kyle asked, again in his normal tone. No reply. "Mom?"

Shaking his head, he raised his voice again, saying "Mom, have you found the agreement for the apartment?"
"Hmmm? Speak up, damn ya! You know I'm old, son…"
"The agreement….have you…"

"Here it is! Ok, boy, what's your name?" she asked, for the first time looking up from the desk littered with papers and miscellaneous office supplies.
"Blaine, ma'am….Blaine Anderson" he smiled. "It's very nice to meet you…" he said, offering his hand to shake the older woman's in greeting. She was looking down at the papers again and left him hanging there. By now, Coop could barely contain the little giggles threatening to escape.

"Blaine's a girl's name, boy! What's your real name?"
"Er…..it's really Blaine, ma'am…" he said uncertainly. He threw a glance at Coop, whose face was red from holding in his laughter.

"Parents didn't like you at first sight, eh?"

"I….uhm…what?"

"You hard o' hearin' youngin?"

"No ma'am…I'm…just…..no, ma'am" Blaine stammered, unsure of how to take the elderly woman. She had effectively thrown him for a loop and he was momentarily speechless.

By now, Cooper had excused himself to the front room they'd passed through when entering the home. Blaine could hear him snickering out of control and gasping for air. He'd get even with him later.

"Why in the name o' Saints would your parents do such a thing…Blaine…..set you up real quick, didn't they?"

"I…..set me up?" Blaine stammered.

"Oh please….if I've ever heard a gay name before…"
"MOM, Jeeeez… Holy shit, Blaine, I'm so sorry…Mom, for God's sake, ENOUGH!" Kyle boomed, looking as if he wanted to throttle his mother and crawl under a rock at the same time.

Blaine threw Kyle a "don't freak out" glance and a little grin, and moved on with Irene.

"I'm named after my grandfather, ma'am…his name was Blaine also."

"Well, then I guess that's ok…..was he gay, too?"
"Ohholyshit….." Kyle mumbled, blushing furiously and turning to walk away into the other room.

"Er…no ma'am…he wasn't….or I wouldn't…..be here, right? Maybe? This is a very bizarre conversation for our first meeting, don't you think?"
"Prob'ly, boy, but I gotta take a good measure 'o whose gonna be living under my roof, ya know? You seem to have a good disposition about ya…..that's a start." So she'd been testing him. Blaine shook his head and gave her a little smirk. He saw her hide a little grin as well, and she yanked out more paperwork.

"If it would make you feel better, we can list the rental under my middle name, which is Anthony, if that's sufficiently masculine for you?" Blaine teased her.
"Smart ass kids" she mumbled, apparently thinking they couldn't hear her.
"Anthony Anderson" she filled in on the paperwork. "…and which apartment is it, Kyle?" she asked.

"Number two, mama" he yelled from the other room.
"Is there another unit for rent in the building?" Blaine asked.

"There will be, but it's not done yet. I've not even begun actually. This one needs work, but not nearly as much as your unit did. Do you work first shift?"

"No, mostly third, actually…..will there be a lot of noise with the construction you think?" Blaine asked ,quietly, thinking this might be a deal breaker.

"I usually work on things after I get off work. You'll be gone then, and the firm downstairs will be closed. It'll work out perfectly." Kyle assured him.

"And the third apartment….does someone already live there?"
"Yes, it's rented. I'm sure you'll run into each other in the hallways soon." Kyle smiled, and it was nearly dripping with sweetness. Blaine wasn't sure how to take that, but he didn't question it further.

"Ok, Anthony, read it over and sign it. I'm an old woman and I gotta have my lunch at a certain time. I got meds to take and all…." She said, thrusting the papers at him.
"Coop!" Blaine yelled.

"Yes, Anthony?" he said, grinning broadly, sticking his head around the corner.

"Read this….you jackass…." he hissed at Coop, quietly, so Irene wouldn't hear him. "Do that speed reading thing you do in that big fancy law office of yours and make sure Irene's not going to take my first born if I'm a day late on the rent." He joked.

Kyle snickered at them, loving the camaraderie between the two brothers. He had always hoped for a brother, but he'd gotten stuck with three annoying sisters instead.

Coop read quickly, pointing out a few things Blaine should ask about, such as who took care of certain things and what would be expected of him, etc. Finding everything else in order, he told Blaine it was ok to sign it. With a flourish, Blaine scrawled out 'Anthony Anderson', just out of spite. Irene turned around and made a copy for him on the world's oldest copy machine, which whined and sounded as if it were coughing up a mechanical lung. Blaine, hearing Coop still snickering, gave him 'the look' and whispered 'jackass!' at him again.

"Ok! We're all set here. Kyle will call you just as soon as his sorry ass gets the kitchen completely finished and you should be in by Sunday evening."
She looked up and gave Coop an odd look, as if he hadn't been there all along. "You Anthony's boy toy or something?" she blurted out, as if she were asking about the weather outside.

"I….er…..no….I'm….he's my brother, ma'am" Coop said, flustered, yet grinning madly at Irene. He liked her already.
"Yeah, but he's awfully pretty. Look at those eyelashes and that butt. He'll find him a boy toy here soon, woncha Anthony?" she all but yelled.

"MOM!" Kyle yelled, appalled.

"Oh Kyle, as if you haven't been checking his butt out the whole time…I can see the gears in that head 'o yers workin' on it…" she said, again starting down at whatever was on her desk.

"Good Lord, mom…." Kyle blushed furiously, eyes wide and panicking. "Blaine, I'm….I'm so….just…."

"You aren't denying it, either. 'Bout time you found yerself a good lookin' man like Anthony here…or even 'jackass'…." Irene mumbled under her breath.

Blaine stood there, mouth gaping open, not knowing what, if anything, to say. He said nothing in the end, just turned and walked to the front door, shaking his head and grinning at the old woman, who was clearly a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Perhaps his gaydar was off? Hmmmm, something to think about!
"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Raymond" Coop said, still grinning ear to ear, and sticking his hand out to shake hers. She eyed it warily, then shook it with a firm grip.

"Git on outta here, Kyle. I got dinner to make. That roast ain't gonna cook itself you know! Git your behind back here by six if you wanna eat. Don't keep your sisters waiting!" she scolded.

They all turned and headed out the front door, Irene grinning behind them. "So long Blaine Anthony….and you too, jackass….." she smirked.

As the door closed behind them she shook her head, snickering. "Shampoo and elephants…..hard of hearing my wrinkly ass…..I'm still sharp as a tack….." she mumbled.