I love you (no homo)

Part Nine

A/N: The chapter contains short refrence to A Very Potter Musical.

The morning unfortunately arrived and Brett missed his alarm clock, opening his eyes an hour later than planned. For a fraction of a second, he questioned why he was feeling so panicky. Then he saw Eddy's empty bed and jumped up.

Shit, shit, shit!

Had he really said that yesterday?! No, no, he couldn't be that stupid. Right? Or did he really advise Eddy not to break up with Daniel?

His mind was racing, and he felt anxiety building up. He had been too sleepy and tired yesterday, it wasn't fair to have a serious conversation at that hour! Why the hell would Eddy even ask him that? Why would he want his advice on something Brett knew nothing about? And most importantly, since when was Brett such a fucking coward?! Wasn't that the perfect chance to confess? Had he really missed the oportunity?

His heart was beating a bit too fast. It was almost as if his body was trying to tell him he had made a big, big mistake.

Brett wasn't one to shy away from risks, he might have been scared, nervous, or anxious but he would take a risk if he deemed it worth it. And Eddy was definitely worth it. Who cared about the consequences anyway! Even if Eddy feels weirded out by Brett's feelings, Brett will try his best to remain his friend. It was that simple. If he didn't even try, what would he be?

He got up as quickly as he could, put on the first clothes he could find, did not care about the look of his hair much, only checked his breath and assessed it as satisfactory. Eddy should be finishing his lectures now, and Brett was going to find him before Daniel did.

When he got to the university, he knew it was too late. Still, he hoped that maybe he would find him somewhere, even in the corridor. But none of the faces that passed him were Eddy. Luckily, another familiar face caught his eye. That blonde girl! Yes, that girl must have been taking classes with Eddy, and Brett was sure he had spoken with her once or twice, but what was her name? Something beginning with K... K... K...

"Kelly!" Brett called out, trying to catch up with the girl walking ahead. "Kelly!"

Okay, maybe he guessed wrong.

"Kate?" he tried again, and a completely different girl turned around.

He finally made his way through the crowd and put his hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Kylie!" He hoped that was it because he had no other ideas at the moment.

She turned to face him with a frown as if she didn't know who he was, but then understanding dawned on her face.

"Oh, hi, B... Brandon."

Brett decided he didn't have the right or the time to correct her now.

"Have you seen Eddy?"

"Uh, I think he's already left. But I think he and some other guys were talking about a new cafe and he mentioned he was going, so maybe there?" she answered, looking confused but clearly noticing his urgency.

"Thanks!" he simply responded and ran towards the exit. He knew where that was.

Eddy was 100% going to meet Daniel, and Brett had to catch him before that. He had a feeling he should explain to him everything before Eddy would make any important decisions.

He took a shortcut across the lawn, which made some guy with a dog yell at him, but Brett didn't have time, so he just shouted back, "You have a nice dog!"

And he ran on, it was a straight road, just ahead... He saw a familiar figure in the distance.

"Eddy!" he yelled, thinking he was really going to rip his throat today. "Hey, Eddy!"

Eddy turned just in time for Brett to catch up with him.

"Brett? What are you-"

"Eddy, listen!" Brett stopped and all the fatigue from the running hit him suddenly, and since he'd never been particularly fit, it hit him hard. He got a terrible shortness of breath. "Don't meet with Daniel!"

"Huh? But I-"

"I lied yesterday, okay? I don't want you to be with him at all, so please, don't go to him!"

"Brett, listen, I-"

"Eddy, I don't want you with him because I want you for myself." Brett hoped what he was saying was understandable and his breathlessness wasn't interfering with that. "Even though it probably sounds awful, when I think about you, I get this stupid warm feeling inside and I just know it's your fault, and I really like you, I like you more than I should. And I want..." He needed to pause to catch his breath again. "And I want you to be with me."

Brett realised he couldn't say another word at this rate, so he stopped and took yet another deep breath, his hand resting on the railing between the street and the sidewalk. Maybe it was a sign to finally hit the gym.

And then Eddy very slowly and gently put his hand on the nape of Brett's neck (which was probably sweaty, Brett realized with panic) and kissed him on the cheek which unsurprisingly made Brett feel even more breathless.

"Does it mean...?" Brett choked out, afraid to finish his sentence.

He lifted his head to look Eddy in the eye. His friend looked back at him with... annoyance. Oh.

"It means I was going to the cafe to ask them about the student jobs they're offering since you inspired me with that whole 'working at the sushi bar' deal, and suddenly you came running out of nowhere and started yelling all over the street, and I think this one woman over there pulled out her phone to record us."

Brett almost wanted to turn back time, go back to bed, and not wake up.

"And..." Eddy continued, abruptly looking away and clearing his throat. "...what you thought at first, it probably means that too."

Brett's brain was working in slow motion. It means... What?

"Now let's get out of here, I don't want more people staring," his friend muttered and grabbed Brett's hand. Like... his actual hand. He intertwined his fingers and everything. Brett was speechless.