It was 8 pm, right after dinner...

XIII

Brett had to quickly flee the appartment, there was no other way. He needed space for himself to think, so he yelled a "Be right back!" to Eddy and left.

What the hell was going on? He contemplated, while he strode towards the nearby park they'd recently been with the koi fish pond. It would have been a perfect evening for a careless stroll, but Brett had no space for appreciating the pleasant temperature and the carefree mood everybody else was in.

What just happened? And how the hell did he end up asking Eddy for that girl's phone number without even remembering her name?

But that was not the important part. He'd just have to never mention her again and hope Eddy would forget, that this very embarrassing incident ever took place. That would be the perfect outcome anyway, if everyone involved would erase that memory forever.
No, the important question was, had he, Brett, really been jealous? Brett walked around the pond for the third time while pondering on that one question. He knew he wasn't jealous of Eddy "scoring" a chat with that girl. He hadn't even thought of this possibility until Eddy had mentioned it! But did he envy that girl then? Speaking to Eddy with her cute smile and beautiful long hair he knew Eddy liked? And if so, why?

Brett took a right turn and walked into the willow tree forest. Was it really, what Brett had told Eddy about corona making it unusual for him to see his friend interact with other people they didn't know? That seemed a bit unlikely though. They've known each other forever. He had even seen Eddy with his various past girlfriends and it had never bothered him. Things like a pandemic did change a lot, but not something so... profound in such a short time.
If it wasn't that, what could it be? What changed since... well, last time, when Brett didn't feel jealous seeing Eddy with others?

Was it his sickness then? Did he need extra security and felt that slipping, when Eddy would do as much as talk to other people? This appeared more likely. It'd explain, why he had those ugly feelings now and not before.

Brett sat down on a bench to further explore this thought.
Well, for starters: Apparently, he was fighting with some kind of illness he just got and which frightened him to his core, like very few things have before.
Number two: There were many uncertainties tied to point one. What sickness was it? How would it affect him in the short and long term? When would he next have a dizzy spell? He could go on and on with his list of questions regarding his current physical state, but that was not the goal now.
Number three: The only constant or security in this situation was: Eddy! Eddy was there, when he went down. Eddy went with him to the hospital and the doctors office. Eddy looked after him and made sure, he ate healthy, slept plenty, rested enough and all those things Brett wouldn't. Eddy, Eddy, Eddy!

Of course, Brett would get anxious at the possibility of "losing" Eddy, if he was the one holding it together for him. That made sense! So this had to be the reason for his weird, very uncool and immature feelings!

Brett sighed, relieved, that he found the cause to this mess. He sat back, suddenly very tired from all the thinking and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

As if on cue, Brett's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out, looked at the caller's name and smiled.

"Eddy?"
"Brett! Where are you? You've been gone for over an hour."
"Can't even survive without me for a bit, huh?"
"You made me worry. You could have passed out and died from robbery and murder somewhere without me knowing!"
"You know, that the sentence for these felonies is death here in Singapore, right?"
"Still! Some might not care when they see your newest i-phone! Where are you?"
"Heading home right now." Brett got up and started to walk towards the entrence of the park.
"Cool! Can you bring some fried chicken home?"
"Admit it! That's the main reason you called!" He changed the direction and headed to a nearby night market.
"Bro! No!", Eddy yelled at the other end of the phone, "I was really worried! You said you'd 'be right back' and then you just disappear? Where did you even go?"
"Might tell you, if you buy me the fried chicken." Eddy huffed and Brett laughed.
"Alright, I'll pay you back. Just take care on your way home, ok?"
"Don't worry, mum. Be right back!"

And Brett made sure to buy the biggest fried chicken fillet there was on the market for Eddy.

A/N. Sorry this one's so short, but I'm busy with not dying from excitement for whatever they decide to drop tomorrow XD.