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LVI

Did they break the card terminal and it somehow managed to stop the flow of time and space? Brett found himself frozen in Eddy’s arms, eyes unblinking and pressed so close to the taller he could feel Eddy’s elevated heart beat through the other’s fluttering shirt.

“You okay?”, Eddy breathed, making Brett dizzy in the process. 
“Yeah, I... I think so”, Brett croaked and couldn’t for the life of his, keep his eyes from those gorgeous lips right in front of him. 
Too close! They were too fucking close! Everything, all of Eddy was!
“Brett?”, Eddy said softly, eyes hazy, and leaned in even more to see if he was fine, causing Brett’s heart to stop doing its duty and he couldn’t tell if it was God’s infinite grace or a curse from hell stopping whatever was going on, but the next thing that reached their eardrums was the cafeteria lady’s stern voice. 
“Mates! You payin’ or what? You can go wrestle somewhere else, but don’t hold up the queue, will ya!”

Eddy froze, and almost let Brett go. 
“Dude!”, Brett finally came to his senses while nearly landing on his butt, but just so succeeded in clutching the metal bars of the tray carrier. 
“I’m so sorry, god…” Eddy shook his head and grabbed Brett’s hand to help him up, looking like his old self again except for the faint blush colouring his cheeks, certainly courtesy to the grumpy woman’s scolding. They quickly grabbed their orders and scrambled away. 

“See? Stuff happens if you don’t let me repay you”, Brett mumbled when they got some distance from the cafeteria lady’s angry gaze.
“Just didn’t think you’d be so easy to push away”, Eddy shrugged, the gentleness in his voice from before gone completely. 
“Rude! Was simply too surprised by your-”
“Strength? Yeah, lots of people are.” Eddy took a sip from his flat white, the smugness he sometimes carried back in full force and Brett wasn’t sure if he should be finding it as, and there was no denying this damned word, attractive as he did. 
“You…”, he stuttered, but before he could display his mostly set up dismay, Eddy laid a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I almost made you fall over”, he said, just out of earshot of their group they were approaching, occupying two tables a few meters away, “That’s not how I normally repay free coffee, you know.”
Brett looked at his apologetic smile, the genuine expression he liked much more than the self-assertive Eddy seconds ago, just because it was more honest, more vulnerable. 
“Well”, he then sighed overly dramatic before delivering a blow back, “I know you’re socially awkward, so we’re good, I guess.”
Eddy blinked. “Ouch!”
Brett sniggered upon seeing Eddy’s hurt face. “Right back at ya!”
“Yeah, I should have been prepared for something like this coming from you, huh.”
“You should know me a bit by now, yeah”, Brett agreed and held the paper cup to his lips while closing in the distance between them and their friends. 

Eddy’s next words were almost inaudible, spoken in a whisper with the taller facing away from him and Brett wasn’t sure if he was even meant to hear them.
But he did, and they made his pulse shoot up to an fiery allegretto, letting the sip of coffee get stuck in his throat.

“Not nearly as well as I liked.”

It was a miracle, really, that Brett managed to pull a chair next to Cole and sit down without causing a major incident involving tripping and spilling coffee all over the group as all noise faded into the background and one sentence along with the presence the one who’d spoken it, currently taking a seat next to him, rose to the forefront of Brett’s consciousness.

What did Eddy mean by that? Was it just referring to them having just met? But that was not a new friend kind of thing to say, was it? It for sure wasn’t casual or anything. Then again, Eddy wasn't exactly used to being with people, so maybe that’s just how he expressed things. Also, he had only said it to himself.
Yeah, yeah, nah! This isn’t a big deal, Brett Yang. Don’t overthink where there's nothing to think about. And this was certainly not a good reason to have his heart rate get elevated to a point he feared adding caffeine into the mix would send him straight into the ER. 
“Brett, psst, you okay?”, Cole hissed with a frown. 
“Yeah, fine.”
“You’re pale af! Are you getting sick again?”
“Nah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
The last thing he wanted was to add to Cole’s suspicions, whatever they were actually about.

On their way back into the concert hall, Katie caught up to him. 
“Brett, hi”, she greeted and threw her short, red hair back. He gulped, definitely regretting his flat white now. 
“Oh, hi.”
“Did you find Eddy yesterday?”
“He did”, Eddy grinned next to him. Brett whirled around in shock. “Did you help him out?”
“I wanted to”, she pouted, “but no one has your number!”
“Brett has it now. You guys can ask him if you want it.” Yeah, this was smug Eddy talking again now. Brett rolled his eyes and sniggered silently. Thank god Eddy didn’t reveal that Brett had illegally crashed at his, which could have resulted in more than just a couple raised eyebrows. Figures. That guy wasn’t stupid now, was he?
“Why can they not just ask you?”, he retorted.
“You’re less intimidating”, Eddy meant with a raise of shoulders. 
“The more I get to know you the less you are, you know”, Katie meant. Brett laughed as she instantly won fifty sympathy points in his books (unfair, he knew, but he was biased). 
“Oh no! I should instantly go back to my closed up self then.”
“Nah, don’t!”, Katie said, “You’re much nicer like this. We didn’t dislike you to begin with, you know, but you were hard to approach. Brett here”, she put her small hand on Brett’s shoulder and left it there, “did a real good job in introducing you to us. You should thank him.”
She’d made her point and what she said was nice, but her palm could really leave now, couldn’t it? Brett rolled his shoulders a bit in hopes she got it, but he wasn’t so lucky. 
Eddy’s gaze traveled to Brett, turning soft in the process. “I am very grateful, you know.”

It was like he was talking to Brett alone and not answering to Katie’s comment. Katie’s grip on Brett’s shoulder tightened uncomfortably. 
“Oh, good!”, she voiced, “Because it’s clear his charm has rubbed off on you.”
Eddy snorted and Brett cringed, mostly inwardly, he hoped. 
“Anyway. I wanted to ask if you wanna grab lunch together, Brett?”
“Aren’t we gonna get dragged along by Angelica to some hip place anyway?”, Brett quickly asked, panicked eyes on Eddy screaming Help me! 

“Probably”, Eddy came to his rescue, “And we have a masterclass in the afternoon. I think it starts earlier than you guys’ rehearsal, so Brett and I need to be back earlier.”
“Oh”, she made, sounding defeated and her hand finally slipping off Brett’s by now cramped up shoulder muscle, “Too bad. Well, we’ll have dinner left, right? Hope you guys will be done by then?”
“Dunno”, Brett answered honestly and made a firm resolution to NOT be around when the orchestra finished rehearsal. 
“Well, I guess I just have to wait and see.”

“God!”, Brett let out a breath when she finally went ahead to her seat, not without shooting Brett a wink. 
“Persistent, huh”, Eddy said, sat down and picked up his violin. 
“Tell me about it! At least she said some nice things about you. Thanks for keeping her off my back a bit.”
“You’re welcome. Must be uncomfortable.”
“It is, man! Although, she only got more intrusive after…” 
… After Eddy had expressed how grateful he was, carrying that… that particular look which made Brett’s insides melt to a piteous puddle, was what went through Brett’s head. 
“Hm?”, Eddy made.
“Nevermind.” 
And for once, Brett was glad Mr. Thames was just about to take the conductor’s stand and restart rehearsal.