Allegro con fuoco

LXXVIII

"Guys! Over here!"
Todd was there, at the kiss and ride and Eddy felt like he might hurl at any moment. 
Todd. The greatest friend a guy could ever ask for. Someone who had the uncanny ability to see right through you and know just what you needed, just when you needed it. Eddy was already not sure he deserved him anyway. Was he about to show him he really didn't? Brett shot him a couple of glances as they walked through the airport, as they waited for their bags to spin around on the carrousel. He never said anything though, which told him that Brett understood that this was something that Eddy himself had to sort out.
But not here. Not in a public place like this. It needed to be somewhere private, so that if Todd needed to lose his shit he could. 
"Hey. Thanks for picking us up." he said, he hoped neutrally, but Todd's eyebrows instantly raised, just a touch, and that was enough to tell Eddy they were busted. After like one second of seeing the guy.  
"Yeah, of course." Todd answered without missing a beat. 
"Fuck it." Eddy muttered under his breath. He quickly threw his bag and violin case in the boot and slid into the backseat before Todd could read anything else on his face. 
Come on, Todd. Give me a moment. Just, wait until we're at home. Where we're safe if this turns into some sort of scene.
He willed the thought to his friend, but he was already pretty sure from the glance Todd shot him right then through the side window that there would be no such luck. 
Brett got into the car as well, giving him a sweet smile.
"It'll be fine, Eddy. Don't sweat it so much." he whispered as Todd opened the front door and got into the driver's seat.
"So, you wanna tell me what the hell is going on?" Todd asked. He was holding the key in the ignition but he was definitely not turning it. 
See? Fuck this! How long had it taken Todd to see there was an issue? There's no way he could ever hide anything from that guy, was there?
"Damn my open book face." he growled as he yanked the door open again, jogged around the car and got in next to Todd instead. "Okay. Drive, please? We'll get a fine if we stay here. I'll talk."
"Okay."
Todd checked his mirrors and slid into traffic. 
"Has something gone wrong?" he asked.
"No!" Eddy almost called. And he felt worse about himself, because Todd automatically assumed that something was bad for Eddy. Not for himself. Of course.
He took a deep breath. 
"Alright. Here goes. Look, Todd, something has happened in Singapore that's awesome, just. Real awesome. But... you weren't there. Which sucks. And now... I don't want..."
Todd eyed him for just one second, then he checked traffic again and managed to steer the car fluently into a parking bay, just outside of the airport. 
"What?" he said. "What the fuck did you do?"
He didn't sound mad, though. 
Yet. 
"I sort of proposed to Brett." he said quietly, and before he could carry on the car seemed to explode. 
"You what?" Todd called, astounded, his eyes were wide, and corners of his mouth reached for his ears. "You proposed?"
"Yeah. And then I met a guy, in the shop where I bought the ring..."
"There's a ring? Show me the fucking ring now!"
Brett grinned and reached his hand forward so Todd could examine his ring finger. 
"Remind me to take that off before I see anyone else." he deadpanned. 
"Fucking hell. Well, well done, Eddy." Todd stated. "It suits him. So then what?"
"Um. Then I met a guy who knew a Buddhist monk. He performed some sort of ritual. And then... yeah, that was why the party."
Now Todd froze, his one hand still on the steering wheel. 
"You got... married?"
"Yeah, well, only sort of. Nothing legal, of course."
Todd sat in complete silence for at least half a minute, while Eddy sat and stared at him without taking a single breath. Was he hurt? Happy? Right now he really couldn't tell. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then Todd unfroze and shook his head in sullen surprise. 
"Wow. You're going to have to tell me every detail of that day, later. But... why did you just look like someone had stolen your good rosin, then? This is good news, isn't it?"
"Because of you, of course!" Eddy stated. "You weren't there. I would have asked you to be my... best man... you know, and I don't want you to feel..."
Todd interrupted him by laughing and Eddy's mouth closed with an audible snap. 
"Jesus F., Eddy. You thought I'd be mad? For you guys being happy? How long have you known me? I strike you as the petty kind? You were over there, what were you gonna do, fly me over on the spot?"
Eddy shook his head. 
"Don't be stupid, mate." Todd carried on. "This is great news. Come on, let's go tell Ian. And one day, once they finally legalise same-sex marriage in this backward arse country, we'll have a proper go of it. Yeah?"
Why were tears pricking behind Eddy's eyes, yet again? 
"Yeah." he whispered. "Okay. You know... you really are the best friend a guy could have."
Todd eyed him very seriously. 
"So are you."