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LXXVII

“WHAT? You met Eddy’s mum?”
Brett frowned as he ruffled his hair dry. “Why is that so special?”
“Dude, you know the implications, right? You guys can basically get married now. Did she like you?”
The damp towel smacked Cole’s face a fraction of a second after his dumb comment. “Bro! Cut the crap, will ya?”
Yeah, it wasn’t like all the talk about him being cute and awesome in Eddy’s eyes was fueling the flames of hope too much already. There was no way. Simply no way and one and a half hours before the competition was for sure not the time to ponder about why Eddy had said what to whom.
Cole blinked at him. “Brett, I know you’re scared and it’s not all bad! It just shows how important Eddy is to you, but can’t you see?” He sat up now, like a fox picking up a trace. “There is a chance! It’s not me making things up! I mean, how long have we known each other and have you ever had dinner with my parents?”
“It was a good opportunity, that’s all”, Brett grumbled and pulled out fresh underwear from the still unpacked suitcase.
Cole leaned back again, his hands turning the towel back and forth, in and out. “Nah, man. I don’t buy it. I saw the glint in your eyes the moment you came through the door. The dinner was nice, right?”
Damn Cole and his fucking annoying ability to look through Brett’s deadpan sometimes. 
“If you really have to know”, Brett threw his hands in the air, “It was nice! She’s nice. And it was nice to see Eddy. You happy?”
“Nice, nice, nice”, Cole huffed, “You couldn’t be less specific and I know exactly why!” His finger pointed at Brett, challenging him and his fearful self. “Stuff happened which leads you to actually be hopeful and you don’t want that. You want to push it away.”

Seldom in his life had Brett wished his glare to have the power to deep fry someone, because God damn it! Was Cole right?
“He called me cute! Okay?”, he yelled into the room, frustration tangible in his tone. “Said it to his mum even who ratted him out! And now, Mr. Don’t-give-up? What am I supposed to do with that? He also told his mum he plans on keeping me around, but what if the minute we part, the minute we go back to Brisbane, he forgets about me?”
And that was exactly why he couldn’t get his hopes up. The mere thought of Eddy not speaking with him or even ghosting him was closing all his airways shut and made his heart clench in agony.

Cole stared at him, dumbfounded. “He called you cute.”
Brett shrugged angrily. “Apparently. His mum said so. And then he said, he’d told her she shouldn’t spill.”
“He called you cute”, Cole repeated.
Brett pulled up his dress pants. “Yeah. And he was real flustered about it too. I know how that sounds. No need to point it out.”
“Mate! Do you? Never in the history of mankind has a dude ever called another dude cute without… you know.”
“Nah! It could still be him just sharing his view or something. It doesn’t have to mean anything and even if it does, what am I supposed to do?”
“You could be a bit more bold. Show him how much you like him”, Cole suggested while getting up and rummaging in his suitcase for a white button-up. “Not that it’s kinda obvious already.”
“Fuck you, Cole! Told you I can’t do that. I cannot jeopardize this new friendship. What if I scare him away? All this could also just be his social awkwardness showing, you know that.”
“Highly doubt that”, Cole raised an eyebrow, “By the way, you buttoned your shirt wrong.”
“Argh! Shit”, Brett cussed and ripped it open again. “It’s all your fault! Bringing stupid stuff up with your nosiness.”
“I only have your best interest in mind and you know that.”
Brett knew, despite every fiber inside him telling him that his friend was wrong out of self-preservation. 

But what if? What if there was a tiny chance Cole had a point?

Brett pursed his lips, a deep frown creasing his eyebrows. “You really think there could be something?”, he finally said.
Cole sighed like he was teaching a kid the same bow stroke for the tenth time. “It’s not just you looking at him in a certain way, you know. Eddy… you probably haven’t noticed it yet because you’re too thick or preoccupied or whatever…”
Brett stuck his tongue out at his friend. 
“... but he sometimes has this gaze when he watches you play, or when you guys meet, or when you talk, to him or to other people. So basically all the time. Now, this evidence paired with all the things he’s said and I know you haven’t told me everything, clearly points to one direction for me which goes beyond friendship. I like you too, mate. But I don’t think I could ever bring out those heart eyes like he has for you.”
“You’re an idiot”, Brett mumbled as he put on the only black blazer he owned, trying to hide his blush behind the collar. Really? Eddy looked at him like that? He’d sometimes caught him staring, like yesterday when they’d made a spectacle out of themselves in the cafeteria, but he’d always brushed over those incidents, putting them down as Eddy simply being concerned for him or finding something Brett did funny.

And it was true that he hadn’t told Cole everything. Not even close. For example Eddy feeling more than flattered when Brett had accidentally blurted out how beautiful he was over pho yesterday. That could have been a potential reason for Eddy to avoid Brett, right? But he hadn’t.

What if Cole was right? What if Eddy did feel something for him too?

The thought made Brett so dizzy he let himself fall down on his bed. 
“You alright?”
Brett swallowed hard. “I… I don’t know…”
“All right. You know what?”, Cole said after taking a deep breath, “Let’s try to concentrate on what’s in front of us. The competition’s on and everything else can wait. We can figure this out once you’re through with your audition.”

Concentrating on what's in front of him. He could do that. In fact, he HAD to. Brett nodded once, got up and checked his reflection in a mirror inside the wardrobe.