Allegro con fuoco

XXIX

"Fuck." Todd breathed as Eddy, too, hung up. Eddy looked up at his great friend. He felt like he was lost at sea, drowning without a buoy. 
"I can't believe I told her."
"Yeah" Todd said. "She... she said she had to think though, right? She didn't say she never wanted to see you again?"
Eddy's lip quivered and suddenly his stomach twinged, hard. A knife seemed to twist in his gut, with what he said, with what she said, with all the years of hiding, and now he knew why. They had been right to hide. It was always going to be this bad. His stomach twisted again, and he jumped up and raced to the bathroom, doubled over the toilet and heaved, again and again, throwing up all of his pain, all of the betrayal, of the young boy he had been and the man he had become. Todd was there, he knew, he was right behind him, waiting until it stopped. 
When it did he leaned back. Tears were streaming down his cheeks again, this time for pain, for nausea, and for the injustice of it all. He shook his head hard as he leaned against the bathtub and tried to gather himself.
"Mate." Todd said quietly, after the longest time. His stomach was quieter now, so he sat up and flushed the toilet. 
"Sorry." he whispered to his great friend. "I... I wish I knew how Brett is."
"Yeah." Todd said as he held out his hand. "Let's go and drink the tea, that's probably cold now, while we wait? You think you can do that?"
Eddy nodded, allowed himself to be pulled up and followed Todd to the living room. 

He had only been there for a few minutes, it seemed, cradling the cup of tea in his hands, when a sullen looking Brett came through the door. 
"Brett! How..."
"Oh, Eddy!" Brett said quickly, as he rushed over and took the seat next to Eddy. "Oh no, was it that bad?"
"You first."
Brett shrugged. 
"Erm. It went... okay, I guess. I think my mum had suspected something for a while. I... I'm not banished, or anything. I... I had to tell them about your mum though, and how we came to have to say now, and why we hid so long."
Eddy nodded. He felt numb, and all the words he could say seemed to be stuck in his throat. 
"And then?" he said in the end. 
Brett shrugged again. 
"They'll be okay. I think they're a bit shocked, but that's all. They asked us to come to lunch tomorrow. I hope that's cool with you."
"Of course." Eddy said automatically. 
"Eddy. How did it go with your mum?" Brett asked again, urgently this time. But Eddy had no idea where to even begin to tell him about earlier. So he looked at Todd, who nodded and took his cue. 
"She said she had to think, Brett. Eddy was a goddamn demi-god, on the phone. He was calm, and clear, and loving. More than she deserved, if you ask me. Then he threw up. I think he needs a massage, and some sleep."
"You threw up?"
Now it was Eddy's turn to shrug, and Brett nodded slowly. 
"Okay. So we're having tea?"
"Yeah. Todd made it."
"For what it's worth, Eddy." Ian piped up in his soft, gentle baritone. "I think you did real well."
"Yeah? It feels like I'm failing her. Isn't that stupid?"
"No. And I do believe she'll turn around."
Eddy eyed him for a moment. Ian was so different, now. So much stronger, more confident, somehow. Him being with Todd seemed to bring out everything in him that had been stuck, been hidden. He smiled at his friend. 
"I hope you're right, Ian. So. Can we please break out some beer or something? I need it to relax."
Todd grinned. 
"Yeah, we all know what some alcohol can do, right?"
Ian got up and opened the fridge, took out four bottles of lager. 
"We do. Drinking is to be recommended, just sometimes."

"Cheers." Eddy said as he twisted the cap and raised the bottle to his best friends in the world. "To a new reality."