CHAPTER 8

Blaine was at work well into the morning hours after closing. They were all talking and laughing, cracking jokes and commenting on the evening's escapades.

"Did you SEE what that guy was wearing? I mean, can you even CALL it an outfit? There wasn't much to it, after all!" Nick laughed.

"I snapped a photo on my phone and sent it to my mom. I can't wait for her to get it in the morning!" Allyse giggled. "She'll call me bright and early having a conniption fit…."

"Awwww, you can't blame him, guys, he was just 'Born This Way!" Blaine belted out doing his best Lady Gaga. He continued singing, veins rushing with alcohol and feeling giddy and tipsy.

When he finally realized how silent the bar was, he was immediately self conscious and blushed.

"What? Ok, so I can't do Gaga….." he grinned.

"Are you fucking serious, dude? That was spectacular! Why didn't you TELL us you could sing, man?" Finn yelled, excited.

"You didn't ask, and I was hired to play the piano." Blaine blushed.

"Dude…..this opens up a lot of doors I think." Joe commented. This was something new, because Joe rarely said much, even with alcohol in his system.

"What else can you sing?" Allyse asked him. "I mean….have you sung before anywhere or do you just belt it out in the shower or what?"

"I was in glee club in high school….we were called The Warblers. We were spectacular, if I do say so myself. Best group of guys I've ever known. A capella…."

"Say it isn't so, man…..Dalton Academy Warblers?!" Finn yelled

"The very same," Blaine grinned. "How'd you know?"

"Grew up, not far away, remember? And I went to McKinley…New Directions?"

"Oh my God, this is rich…."

"Who knew we had glee club members in our presence?" They all laughed.

"Ok, so impress me, Blaine. Belt something out up there." Nick said, motioning to the piano on the stage.

"Oh, so not putting me on the spot or anything, right? 'Hey drunk dude, go make an ass of yourself and let us laugh at you, ok?" Blaine snarked.

"No no…just do something, sing something simple."

So he did. He ambled over to the piano and sat down, getting into his happy music place and started playing Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", belting it out with every bit of emotion and feeling he currently had in him. Even to himself it sounded better than normal. He wondered if it had anything at all to do with the fact that his musical happy place recently had a lot to do with a certain chestnut haired guy with amazing blue eyes that he couldn't seem to get out of his mind since seeing him that Sunday morning? He ended the song and just sat there, leaning his forehead onto the piano, smiling at the memory of the guy and his….what? Girlfriend? Wife? Was it too much to ask that she was simply a friend who liked to walk around with him at 7 am?

Suddenly he heard a loud commotion and realized that they were all staring at him wide eyed and clapping wildly.

"That was amazing,man….you're on fire….we can add so many new songs now…your range is…." They all began at once. Blaine was smiling, happy he'd made a few friends and he actually liked his job. New job, new city, new friends, enough money coming in to live on…but there was still something missing. The good thing was he knew exactly what it was that was missing. The bad thing was that the odds of him finding that one thing were slim and none.

"Kurt, I said a FEW things, and you've stocked the whole apartment with food!" Rachel scolded. "You know Finn's gonna eat it all in a few days, right? I mean, if there's food here, he's going to eat it!" she laughed. "And how did you get all of this stuff back to the apartment? It must have taken four trips!"

"Food is meant to be eaten, Rachel, and it's the very least I can do. I really do need to find my own place soon. Are you up for apartment hunting with me anytime soon?" Kurt asked her. "I'd go alone, but I really would rather have you along…..I don't really know the neighborhoods very well yet, and…."

"Oh Kurt, you know I'll go with you!" she beamed. "As if I'd let you pick out an apartment without me. What if you're too far away from me? We can't have that, now can we?"

"A few more weeks of me in your face and you'll be throwing me out and sending me back to Ohio to get away from you!" he grinned.

"Never, Kurt….you know better. I wouldn't send you back there, ever, unless you were visiting your dad, what with Jackson getting out soon and…." She cut of quickly. "Oh Kurt, Oh God, Kurt, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, honey, sit down…sit sit sit." She soothed him.

Kurt had gone pale and his eyes flew wide. He felt at once as if he couldn't catch his breath as well as like he was going to hyperventilate. The cold enveloped him and he wrapped his arms around himself to keep in any warmth that he could save. Sitting gingerly on the sofa, he hung his head and shook it slowly.

"Kurt, honey, I'm so sorry…you know I just open my mouth and don't filter. It's going to be alright, Kurt, he has no idea where you are now, right? You haven't given anyone a forwarding address except your dad and Carole. You have a new phone number. Nobody but your closest friends know where you are, and let's face it, New York is HUGE. Even if he happened to come here he'd never find you…" she rambled on.

Kurt sucked in a gasp and his eyes met hers in fear and panic. He started darting looks around the room at the doors and windows, as if checking to see that they were locked.

"I can't do it, Rachel. I can't live alone again. I'm too scared. What if he finds out I'm here. What if he comes looking for me. " Kurt babbled.

"No no no no no, Kurt, that's not going to happen. He won't know you're here. He's been locked up for almost a year now, how could he possibly know? Nothing in New York is in your name. You're nameless and faceless here as far as anyone knows." She soothed him.

"I hope so, Rach…..God, I hope so." He said shaking.

"….and seriously, Rachel, he was absolutely magnificent, and he was just sitting there, staring out the window. I can't believe you didn't notice him. I should have pointed him out, although that would have been incredibly obvious. I just…..I feel really weird because my …..insides….." he paused.

"Kurt?" she prompted.

"…they fluttered, Rach. Turned inside out. I couldn't catch my breath. I haven't felt like that in so long. I haven't LET myself feel that for so long. Since well before Jac…..before him. It was both a breath of fresh air and a little unnerving, actually, but the really odd part is, he was just some random guy in a coffee shop and I can't seem to stop thinking of him! He's in my head all day, I think I see him places, but it's not him. He's in my dreams at night…." He said, shaking his head.

Rachel gave him the wiggly, raised eyebrows and a sly smile and he blushed. "Not THOSE kinds of dreams! Ok, sometimes..…." He grinned, wickedly.

"Agghhh! Oh Kurt, I hope this means you're finally going to be able to forge ahead and forget all of that stuff that happened in Ohio. You SO deserve to be happy!"

"Rach, he was just a guy I saw in a coffee shop once. We didn't even speak. It's not as if I'll ever see him again….which is sad, because he was …wow. He was just over the top beautiful!"

They walked on for a block or so and suddenly stopped, looking up at the surrounding streets and addresses.

"So here it is….this is the address." Kurt said looking at the paper, and then up at the building. "Please, Gaga, let this be something worth the walk to get here." Kurt deadpanned.

"Yeah….who knew there were so many shitty places to live in New York?"

"Certainly not me…"

"Should we go in? Is the guy going to be here?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, he said he'd be here, working on the apartment. I guess we go on in?"

They climbed the stairs to the front door, noticing that there was an office on the first floor. Taking the steps they found the door wide open at the top of the stairs. The sounds of power tools and a radio floated out of the door, so they knocked and stuck their heads in the door.

"Ewww, spackle….I hate the smell of that stuff….." Kurt remarked.

"I can leave the holes in the wall if you want?" a voice answered him, laughing.

"Ahhh! Kurt jumped, not realizing the man was behind the door. "Oh my Lord, you scared me to death!" he laughed.

The man extended his hand, shaking Kurt's firmly before grabbing Rachel's hand as well. "I'm Kyle Raymond, you must be Kurt, we spoke on the phone?"

"Yep, that's me…..and this is Rachel…." Kurt said, eyes wide and spinning in a slow circle taking in his surroundings. "This place is amazing! 12 foot ceilings?"

"Sure are…"

"Original crown moulding?"

"Absolutely, and the floors are original as well…."

"Oh Kurt, look at the fireplace!" Rachel commented excited about the intricate design in the mantel and surround.

"Wow…" Kurt said, still turning in slow circles looking around him. "The windows are huge….look at all of the natural light!" he all but squealed. "I have to tell you, Kyle, this is so much more than I expected! Surely there's a typo on the rent in the paper?"

"Nope, I saw the ad myself. My mom just likes to give young people a chance to have a nice place to live without bleeding them dry. But I've got to warn you, you're the first to be in here….but it won't last long. I'm not trying to give you one of those 'act now or lose out!' speeches, but I have 6 other people coming this afternoon to look at it.

"Can I look around? See the rest?" Kurt asked.

"Sure, lemme show you the basics and you can go from there…..in here is obviously the living room…there's a coat closet over there. It's kinda small, but it does the job I suppose. Over here is where the last tenant had a dining table. There's no real 'dining room' per se, but this room is big enough to accommodate both. Here's the kitchen. We've just finished remodeling it…new cabinets, new counters, new appliances….."

Kurt was in heaven. He longed for a kitchen like this, even if it was only to cook for himself. The bathroom was newly remodeled as well with tile and very neutral colors.

"In here is the first bedroom. It's not the 'master' but it's a good size. Closet over there….." he went on. Kurt walked over to the window, noting that he was at the back corner of the building and the window on one wall of this room looked over the parking area around back, which was in an odd little 'indent' in what would have been the corner of the building. Another window had a stunning view of…..oh wow….that was a little weird. He was able to look directly into the windows of his building, but it was obviously someone else's apartment. He could see musical instruments…a guitar, a keyboard and a drum of some sort. Curtains…yep…that's what he'd need, curtains! He laughed to himself, thanking his lucky stars he didn't see a bed in that room! If he could see them, they could easily see him as well, and that was a bit disconcerting.

"In here's the master, which is a pretty good size for an apartment I think….." Kyle went on. Kurt gasped as he walked into the room. By New York standards, this room was HUMONGOUS! He was stunned, momentarily, and stood there with his mouth agape taking it all in.

"Here's the closet….it's a good size, mainly 'cuz this room and the closet used to be two rooms. The last tenant asked us to make her a good sized closet and we obliged. That woman had a serious clothing addiction….." he went on. Rachel cleared her throat with a silly, sideways grin and Kyle glanced back at her. She did a casual head nod at Kurt which earned her a glare from him.

"I prefer the term 'fashionably endowed' thank you very much!" he snarked at Rachel.

"Uh huh, that you are, my dear…. " she laughed.

They walked back through the short hall to the kitchen when Kurt noticed a door that he wasn't sure Kyle had mentioned.

"Is that a pantry?" he asked

"Oh, no that's the door….I mean, the back door. Thelma used it all the time because she drove, and when she'd pull through the alley into the parking area in back, she'd just sprint up the back steps into her own apartment instead of walking all the way around the building to get inside and climb the stairs. This is the only apartment with another egress though….." he went on.

"Mr. Raymond….." Kurt began.

"Please, just call me Kyle. Mr. Raymond was my dad!" he laughed.

"Ok, Kyle, I love it already. Can I have a minute to run through again and make a decision?"

"Oh absolutely, by all means, check it all out. Take your time, I'm going to finish with this real quick before it all dries and I'm shit outta luck!"

"Rach….this is….it's just….beyond my wildest dreams for my first apartment in New York! "

"Kurt, I don't want to be a downer or anything, but….can you afford to live here? I mean, before you get a job and everything? I know you've sent out resumes and stuff, but …."

"I've been saving for a long time. Truth be told, I can probably live here for a year without a job if I wanted to, but I sure as heck hope I'll have a job within a year!"

"Kurt, it's stunning, you have to have it then!" she beamed.

They looked around for a few more minutes, Kurt taking in the remodeled kitchen with high end appliances and the newly redone bathroom. He knew this was his place. He felt it in his bones. He had to have it.

"Kyle?" Kurt called out, sticking his head around the wall to see Kyle cleaning up the spackle. "I'll take it. I have to have it!" he squealed.

"Awesome! Saves me the time of showing it any more. Mom will be glad to know it's rented out….she worries, ya know? "

"I saw that the staircase continues up, are there more apartments above this one?" Rachel asked.

"Nope, mom's personal stuff…storage mostly; a small efficiency we haven't rented in years, and a bunch of 'stuff'. There are two other apartments on this floor and a small lawfirm downstairs. Just rented apartment 2 last month to the guys that looked at it first as well…..the one in 3 has been there for a year or more. They're all nice people, though. Can you sign the rental agreement today or do you have to be somewhere?"

"No, absolutely, today is fine! When can I move in, do you think?"

"I should be done here in a day or two. Need for this plaster to dry and then I need to paint, but that's it. By the weekend I'd say, sound good?"

"Speaking of paint…..can I….either pick the colors you paint or paint it myself? I'm rather picky about my décor, you see…." Kurt began.

"Absolutely! I'll just put a coat of primer on, then, and you can go from there!"

"Oh wow….spectacular! Rachel, we have to go furniture shopping! Let me just measure these rooms…." Kurt said, removing a large metal tape measure from the bag slung across his chest, "and then we paint, darling…this is going to be the best place in the whole city!" Kurt beamed.

Things were looking up, he was sure of it.

"Mom, this is Mr. and Mrs. Hummel. They're going to rent apartment 2….." Kyle began.

"Oh, no…we're …um…" Rachel started to say.

"She's not my…no …we're just….."

"Holy mother o' pearl, Kyle, you'd think you'd be better at this by now…this one screams gay even more than any of your other little friends…." Irene went on, quite loudly. "You have a master plan with my brownstone, boy, or what? I'm not at all sure what's going on over there with you…."

"MOM! Enough…Mr. Hummel would like to sign the rental agreement now please. And NONE of your funny business. You've scarred enough people already. He turned his back completely on his mother and said, softly, to Rachel and Kurt "she's a little…." and he made a circular motion with his hand around his ear and rolled his eyes. Please, just humor her. She doesn't mean any harm."

Kurt stood, motionless, wondering what he'd gotten himself into. Rachel looked a little amused, although Kurt wasn't sure if it was because of Irene's comments or because of being called "Mrs. Hummel". Kurt moved forward and extended his hand to Irene.

"I'm Kurt, Mrs. Raymond, it's very nice to meet you. The apartment is absolutely wonderful, and I'm sure I'll be happy there!" he told her.

"Oh you'll be happy alright!" she cackled. "At least 'Kurt' isn't a damn girl's name!"

"Moooommmmm…." Kyle groaned. "Please…..I'm begging you to behave." He said lowly.

Irene didn't look up, and Kurt was sure she hadn't heard a word he said. Kurt, however, was confused, wondering about the 'girl's name' comment. He gave Kyle a questioning glance, and Kyle just rolled his eyes upward and shook his head.

"I was wondering," Kurt began, "You said that the third floor is storage. Would I be able to put a few things up there of my own? You know, seasonal things, that there won't be much room for in the apartment?"

"I don't see how it would hurt anything" Kyle answered.

"Great! I have….clothes…a lot of clothes…" Kurt said

Rachel coughed into her hand grunting out "understatement" as she did so. Kurt glared at her.

"Jealousy is so unbecoming of you, Berry" he snarked. Rachel just smiled at him, so happy for her friend to have found a place of his own.

"And just one last thing…." Kurt began, eyes darting between the floor, Irene and Kyle. "About the locks on the door….are they sturdy? Strong? And do you mind if I add another if I'm not comfortable with them? I'd obviously give you a copy of the key, I'm just…..a little….paranoid I guess."

Rachel's eyes were sad and she worried the corner of her bottom lip. Kurt still looked so frightened at times. Even though he was hours and hundreds of miles away from his 'home', he was still a nervous wreck all the time, looking over his shoulder, jumping at the slightest sound, and losing himself in worry all too often. When Kyle had put his hand on Kurt's back to guide them out of the apartment she thought Kurt was going to faint. He reigned himself in quickly enough, but the look of terror in his eyes for that split second was enough to break her heart. "Damn you, Jackson Hardy. Damn you to hell for what you've done to my best friend!" she thought, quietly, and not for the first time. She didn't even know the half of it.