Dynamics (Twoset Violin Fanfic)

Chapter Sixteen

Jeez, Eddy was terrible at this. Holding Brett by the shoulders without even asking? And then, playing it off like it was for a discount?

It must've been... yup, it was Wednesday.

He didn't even know if they were on a date or not. Obviously, boys did not typically take other boys to queer cafes platonically. But maybe Brett really was just shocked he'd never tried bubble tea before.

It hadn't been planned, and Brett seemed self-conscious when the barista thought they were a couple. But he hadn't pushed him away, either...

His phone buzzed: a text from Belle. He turned it off without reading it.

Glancing up, he found Brett looking at him expectantly. "Are you going to drink the bubble tea, or should I?" he said with a smile.

Eddy took a sip. "Huh. This is pretty good."

"Pretty good! That's all you have to say?" Brett exclaimed.

Eddy stared at him.

"Not amazing, or life-changing, or even delicious?" Brett continued. "It's at least delicious, come on."

"Fine," Eddy said, smiling. "It's life-changing. Gone is the Eddy who never tried bubble tea. I have been reinvented by this high-sugar beverage." He paused for effect. "How's that?"

"Pretty good."

They both laughed and then talked for a while between sips of bubble tea.

"So, besides Cafe Utopia, what do you do outside of circus training?" Eddy asked.

"Well... I'll usually hang out with some friends, try and stretch a little after training, or call my brother."

"Oh, I didn't know you had a brother. What's his name?"

"James. He's a lawyer in Taiwan." Brett's response sounded oddly robotic as if he'd said it many times before.

"Okay..." Eddy said. He knew he shouldn't pry but couldn't help but want to find out more. "Why Taiwan?"

"He works for a really good firm there," Brett said, sounding robotic again. Then he shook his head slightly, blinked, and smiled, the kind of smile that almost made it seem like everything was fine.

Almost.

"So, how's your commute to the studio?" Brett asked.

"It's fine," Eddy said cautiously, forgiving the sudden change in the conversation for Brett's sake. "I take the subway a few stops and walk a little and I'm there. It's actually harder not to wake up my sister while I'm making breakfast and everything."

"It's so cool that you can live with your sister," Brett said. "Meanwhile, I got stuck with three roommates."

"Sounds crowded."

"Eh, it's a three-bedroom apartment, so it's not so bad."

"You must have a lot of money, then," Eddy said before he could stop himself. "I mean— sorry, that was rude, I'm sure you—"

"Don't worry about it," Brett said. "We all split the rent. I pay from my Cafe Utopia job and my roommates are spoiled trust-fund kids with snowplow parents." His face turned red and his eyes widened abruptly as if he'd said something he shouldn't have.

Eddy couldn't help but laugh. "I think that's the first unfriendly thing I've ever heard you say. And those guys probably deserve it."

Brett gave a half-smile, but he still looked panicked.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said. "I can't really tell them anything. And even if I somehow did, I'm sure they have a bunch of fake friends who'll comfort them."

Brett smiled for real at that, and Eddy couldn't help but wonder again if they were on a date. He was pretty sure their knees were still touching under the table, and he knew he was too old to obsess over things like that, but it was getting difficult.

"Eddy?" Brett said.

"Hmm?"

"You looked kind of spaced out. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Eddy said.

A beat passed.

"I was just, y'know, thinking," Eddy said, silently cursing his utter incompetence when it came to handling awkward silences.

"About?"

"You," he blurted out. Then, blushing slightly, he added: "I mean... your voice! Yeah, your voice. It's nice."

"Oh. Thank you," Brett said.

Eddy was sure that by now, he'd ruined everything — date, hangout, whatever it was— and he didn't notice that Brett seemed oddly flattered.

Brett checked the time on his phone and tensed.

"I have to go," he said, standing up and pushing in his chair. It screeched against the floor. "I usually call my brother now, and he's super busy during the day, so this is the only time we can talk, and—" he shook his head. "I'm really sorry, but I need to go right now."

"Okay," Eddy said, trying and failing to conceal his disappointment.

"This was fun, though," Brett said. He stopped and bit his lip as if debating whether or not to say something.

Then he waved goodbye and dashed out of the cafe.

Eddy glanced at a wall clock. They had been at the cafe for an hour and a half, but it felt like only fifteen minutes. He sat there for a few moments more, wondering what had just happened. Then he, too, left the rainbow-colored booth and started walking home.