Andante

CXCVII

"Bro!" Brett rapped him on the back, hard. They were in public, of course, with other students all around them in the tiny hallway. "That's maybe the best I've ever heard you play."
Eddy eyed him sideways. "You can't possibly know that, the door was closed!"
Brett waggled his eyebrows in that great way he had. "Well, maybe I forgot to close the stage door all the way because I wanted to hear?"
Eddy looked at him incredulously. Wow. Brett had left the door open? Whoa, it was so not like Brett to break the rules. It must have meant a lot to him, and he felt the touched smile spreading on his lips. 
"Well, I didn't know you were such a rebel." he quipped then, but Brett's answering grin was real. 
"Yeah, me neither. So, you wanna see if we can find John?"

It didn't take long, because the second they walked back into the auditorium he saw John and Mark talking to Mr. Petti. They walked up and waited to one side, like good, demure little Asian boys, but John saw them almost straight away. 
"Guys!" he enthused as he beckoned them closer and shook their hands. "I could not be prouder. You've both made great strides since the quartet! And Eddy, Sibelius? You were feeling brave, mate."
Eddy laughed quietly. "I have to admit I had a few moments of regretting that choice before I went on. Thanks for coming, John."
"Yeah, of course. So, next year the third movement?"
All the people who played the violin burst out laughing, Mr. Petti included. Yeah. Those tenths? Eddy didn't fucking well think so, thank you very much. 
"Erm, I may have to wait with that one until later." he grinned. 
"I don't know, Eddy." Mr. Petti interjected suddenly. "You have promise. Oh, and nice long fingers for the tenths. The day may come sooner than you think."
Mr. Petti's words crashed into him like waves on a rocky shore, but somehow he managed to not start jumping up and down and whooping at the massive compliment he had just been paid.
"Thank you, Mr. Petti. And thank you so much for giving us this opportunity." he managed to say quietly. "We have loved every second of the last few days."
Mr. Petti nodded with a twinkle in his eye. Maybe he could see the internal whooping going on anyway? He held out his hand to shake Brett's and Eddy's in turn. 
"Well, I hope to see you both again very soon."


The pizza place was small and instantly crowded now that all the students had filed in there and tried to cram themselves into several smallish booths. Eddy had found a place, and Ronnie had taken the seat next to him straight away. 
"What are you going to get, Eddy?" she asked him as she shook her long hair out of her face. 
"Erm, I guess I'll get melanzane. Make sure there's no mushrooms on it."
"What, you don't like mushrooms?"
He smiled at her, trying his hardest not to remember the traumatic event as he explained it. "Yeah. Almost died eating one as a kid. Took the message."
She scrunched her eyes at him and leaned her head back slightly. "So erm, your theory is that mushrooms are out to kill you and must be avoided at all cost? How do you know there are no aubergines that are feeling particulary murderous in the kitchen right now?"
He grinned. "I'll trust you to heimlich it out of me if one should try?"
There was a glint in her eye as she answered that he couldn't quite place. 
"Sure, got your back, Jack." she said just as the waiter appeared. 

It was super late by the time they said goodbye at last to all of their new friends and walked Ronnie back to her aunt's house, where she had found a place to stay for the masterclass. 
"It's been great to meet you guys." she said as they stood in front of a pale blue door in the middle of a street. For some reason she was looking directly at Eddy as she said it. 
"You too, Ronnie. Don't be a stranger." Brett said, but something in his tone made Eddy whip his head around to look at him. He was... grinning? Or something? What? 
And then it hit him. Oh shit! Was this... was this the bubble tea place all over again? Some images from the days before flashed through his head unannounced. Ronnie, only talking to him in the cafeteria. Ronnie, hugging him like that before the concert. Fuck! Surely, she didn't... right? 
He looked at Brett one more time and then he turned back to Ronnie. 
It wouldn't hurt to make sure, right?
"Yeah, it's been awesome and let's stay in touch. I would like to be your friend."