Andante con Brio

LXXVII

"So, how did it go?"
Brett's face was kind as always, but he could see the slight bit of tension in the corners of his eyes. Wait, had Brett been nervous for him as he had sat through his music theory class just now?
"Er..."
On a whim Eddy sat down in one of the little light alcoves in the hallway that looked out over the street below. The alcoves had windows on all sides and they came with a plastic-covered bench. Brett turned around and sat next to him straight away. 
"It went reasonably, I guess. I mean, I will admit I was shitting myself. But I didn't play too bad, I guess? Mr. Hill was really nice."
He thought back of the way Sacha's eyes had followed him, this intent look he seemed to have. A look that seemed to pierce through everything that was on the surface; like nerves, like mannerisms, like attempts at musicality, and just go through the music that was below it all. 
"He had some good things to say. He said my right arm is too high and too tense. I don't know how I feel about changing that though."
Brett looked around him at the deserted hallway and smiled as he scooted ever so slightly closer so he could stroke the back of his hand against Eddy's in a small gesture no one else would see. 
Eddy sure felt it though. 
"Yeah, he's good like that. He can... I dunno, it just feels like he goes right to the core of things, if you know what I mean."
Eddy nodded. 
"I do know what you mean. And I see why you've liked him so much. He's kind, I think."
Brett grinned suddenly. 
"Yeah. Although when people slack he lets them know, you don't have to have any concerns about that." He was still grinning, looking out over the street, clearly remembering something from last year. "But you don't have to worry about that. I'm sure he's already seen you mean business. I don't think you can get a better teacher if that's the case."

Eddy knew very well that Brett's words where meant to encourage, but he couldn't help that somehow they also worried him a little bit. Because what if he ever did slack? Or what if he ever couldn't find the right way of approaching something, so it would look to Sacha like he was slacking? What would happen then?
"I'm certainly going to try my hardest." he said softly. 
The cars that were going on the street underneath them seemed like they were a million miles away from up here, on another planet, in another universe. He was in a different place altogether now. Planet Con. 
And he wished he would never ever have to leave. 
"Oh!" 
Eddy veered up as he suddenly remembered the thing he hadn't gotten a chance to tell Brett yet, after his own theory lesson with Mr. Heart this morning. "Mr... Theo said that I've done real well on preparing for my theory shit. He said he's okay with me skipping the first year altogether if I want. It would give me more time later on in my college years for rehearsals and practise." He looked at Brett a little shyly. "I told him that would be cool, I didn't tell him I was mostly happy 'cause I'll be in the same lesson as you."
Brett's eyes stayed pretty much the same. It was only Eddy who would be able to see the slight crinkling at the sides, who would see the lights fire up underneath the irises. He smiled. 
"Can we go somewhere so I can kiss you now?"
The sentence popped out before he had really noticed it coming past his lips, but he could feel how desperately he wanted to kiss him now, after all the excitement of the second day at the con, the first real day, the first real lesson with Mr. Hill. He needed something to pour all of that into. 
Brett was already getting up and looked to the far end of the hallway. 
"You know this never happened to me last year." he quipped, and Eddy laughed. 
"I'm real glad it didn't."
"Come on. There's a staircase to pretty much nowhere at the end, there."