Allegro con fuoco

XXVII

Ian jumped up from the couch the second they walked in the door. 
"All good?" he asked. Todd walked over to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. 
"Not really, baby. He told his mum about us and reactions were... sub par, shall we say."
"Oh fuck." Ian grunted as he walked over to Eddy. "Oh man, Eddy. What is it with her? She was always so nice to me. Remember, when I used to come and eat at your house?"
Eddy nodded morosely and tried not to start crying again. 
Would he himself even ever be back there to eat at his house? 
"Yeah. I remember."
He looked around the semicircle of his love and his friends, all there, staring at him with worried eyes. 
"I'll make some tea." Todd said suddenly, and Eddy almost laughed. 
Todd never drank tea. He must look truly terrible.
Brett put his hand on Eddy's shoulder, and that was it. He was digging his phone out of his back pocket. 
"Give me a sec. I'll be back to drink that tea."

He couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheek, but his step was full of resolve. He pulled the door of their bedroom shut and dialed quickly. Breathing was suddenly very difficult. The phone rang, and rang, endless A flats floating away into the space around him. But just as he was about to give up, hang up and let himself fall on the bed, it was picked up.
"Eddy, hi."
"John. I... I'm sorry for calling you this late."
John's tone changed straight away.
"Are you okay, Eddy?"
"Um..." Eddy swiped at the tears and swallowed so John wouldn't hear them. "No. I'm not. I... I told my mum about Todd and Ian and... it went badly. I was kicked out."
He didn't miss John's shocked intake of breath, but when he spoke again his voice was calm as always. 
"I'm sorry, Eddy. That's... next level."
"Yeah. So what the fuck do I do now?"
The door to the bedroom opened then, and Brett peeked around the corner with worried eyes. Eddy moved his head, to invite him in. 
"It's John." he said as he pointed at the phone. Brett nodded and walked in. "Brett's here too, John, I'll put you on speaker if that's okay."
"Of course. Hi Brett."
"Hi, John."
"Guys, jeez, it's so hard for me to know what's what." John said after a moment. "But... I saw you in Taipei, I saw how you managed around Todd and Ian's new relationship. I mean... I can't tell you what to do, but secrets like this, they eat at you."
Brett took Eddy's hand as powerless tears flowed down his cheek. And when he looked up at Brett he saw his eyes were moist, too. 
Eddy took a deep breath. The spark, from Taipei, that had turned into a flame, was now burning up like a forest fire. 
"I..." he said as if his voice were coming from a million miles away. "I don't want to hide anymore. If she's like this now..."
He checked Brett's face closely for cues. So he saw the tiny nod. His eyes, that seemed to float. Then Brett nodded again, but bigger this time. 
"It's only nine. I can still go home."
Eddy's heart seemed to stop in his chest. How had they suddenly got here, to this point, which had been coming, and yet not coming, for four long years? John was silent, on the phone, it was just them, looking into the other's eyes, still, frozen. Even the tears had dried up. Then Eddy nodded with the weight of a thousand worlds.
"Okay. If you're sure."
"Yeah. I am."
Eddy blinked, and Brett was already gone. 
"I wish I could go with him." he said to the phone.
"I get that, Eddy. I'm guessing this is something he has to do alone."
"Yeah. And so do I."