Andante con Brio

XI

Had he ever worked this hard in his life? I mean, he had thought he had worked hard last year, when he had started getting up early to practise before school, but now the term had taken on a whole new meaning. He had basically spent every minute of every day either studying or practising for weeks now, since the moment the envelope from the con had arrived, telling him when his audition would be. 

"There is an envelope for you, Eddy. I put it on the table."
He had hardly spoken to his mum since last week, since that ridiculous day when he had told her he would be auditioning, and he really didn't have the space to now. He just rushed into the living room and picked up the white A4 envelope that was addressed to him, almost giving himself a paper cut in his haste to get it open. 

He smiled at the recollection as he stared through the book that he had been reading. A book for med school, of course, but he really hadn't minded the studying anymore, not since that day. As long as he also got to prepare for his entrance exam, he would do all the studying he needed to, even if it did mean he was only getting four hours sleep a night. 
He looked at the clock quickly. One. Cool. Brett would be here soon, to sit on his bed and listen to him run through his programme. He got up from his desk chair, closed the book and walked over to his violin case to just play a few scales before Brett turned up. 

Eddy was just deep into a four-octave triad when there was a timid knock at the door and it swung open in his peripheral vision. 
"Hey." Brett smiled. His eyes were soft and kind and they made Eddy want to be as close as he possibly could to him. He put the violin down in the case quickly and walked over, closing the door quietly behind Brett so his mum wouldn't hear . Then he pushed his boyfriend against it. His mum was downstairs, he was pretty convinced, but it was always good to be on the safe side, no? 
"Hey." he whispered against Brett's lips, his right hand in Brett's hair, his left arm around his waist. "I've missed you."
"Oh yeah?" Brett whispered back after a beat, and he very gently took Eddy's upper lip between his teeth, the tip of his tongue exploring the velvety softness he found there. "I've missed you more."
Eddy grunted softly, so softly he was sure no one would hear and deepened the kiss. He reveled when he felt Brett responding against himself, when he felt him pulling him to him so tight that it was like they were linked as chains in a bracelet, discovering each other all over again. 

Eddy had no idea how long they had been against the door when they finally let go, but he could see that Brett's lips were slightly swollen from his sweet assaults. He smiled and raised his hand, stroking the soft curve of Brett's upper lip with the backs of his fingers. 
"You're so beautiful when you've been kissed." he whispered then. 
No one, no one at all in the world could he ever say something like that to without feeling incredibly silly, but Brett was always the exception to the rule. Brett, who blinked at him now and smiled his shy, shy smile. 
"Really?" he breathed. His sweet breath washed over Eddy's face as he bent forward to kiss his slightly stubbly cheek. 
"Yep. Really."

It was hard to let him go, but they had tempted fate enough for one day. Eddy put his weight back fully on his own to feet, cleared his throat and walked over to his violin. 
"Well. Now that my wits are thoroughly scattered, let's see if I can remember how third position works?"
Brett grinned as he made his way onto Eddy's bed and crossed his legs. 
"Maybe you need a quick break, first. Tell me how studying is going?"