Andante

XXXVII

Eddy's mind was reeling as he settled into the plush red seat. The day had been awesome! The orchestra was every bit as good as he'd hoped, and he'd loved every second of the rehearsals. Every once in a while he'd looked over at Brett, and even though his face didn't give much away he knew him well enough to see that he was just as excited. 
Dinner had been fun, too. They were starting to make some friends. Todd, the guy that he'd seen a few times in music stuff around Brisbane, turned out to be a really funny guy. There was also this girl called Lizzy, who played the flute. He wasn't usually very fond of flautists. They all seemed to be blonde, and they were always bitching about each other. But Lizzy seemed to be the exeption to that rule; she was really nice, with a kind, soft smile. He'd also heard her play this piece called 'Syrinx' by Debussy for solo flute. He'd been transfixed, listening to her as she played the pentatonic scales, watching her mouth as it moved in a certain way  whenever she played an octave. He thought he might as well admit: Debussy was quickly becoming his absolute favourite composer. 
They'd sat together at dinner, the four of them; cracking jokes, talking about music. It had been very, very good. 
He was knackered now, though. The late night the day before, all the tension; he felt like he could sleep for a week. But there was a teacher concert and it was mandatory. 
Not that he would want to miss it anyway. He was sure the teachers would be fantastic.
They were playing Mendelssohn's first violin quartet in E flat major. He'd heard it before and loved it. 
Brett took the seat next to him now and gave him a tired smile. 
¨You still awake, bro?¨ he asked. 
Eddy sniggered. ¨For now. But I can't make any promises about where I'll be in half an hour.¨
Brett laughed softly. ¨Yeah, me too.¨
There was a roar of applause then and the teachers made their way onto the stage. The first violinist was actually their conductor; Eddy thought that they were very lucky to have a violinist as their teacher. The guy had had some incredibly insightful things to say today. 
The quartet sat down and the familiar hush came over the audience. Eddy smiled. Wow. An audience of kids, all under 18, and yet they were all here because they loved classical music. Was there a better place to be in the world? 
The music started and it didn't disappoint. Wow, there were so good! He looked to his left and beamed at Brett, who bent over to whisper in his ear. 
¨There are awesome, aren't they!¨
The feeling of Brett's proximity, his warm breath caressing his cheek, was something else, and Eddy swallowed hard before answering. 
¨They really are.¨
There was an arm rest beside every chair, but there was space underneath. Suddenly Eddy was acutely aware of Brett there, his arm resting on his leg, so close. Oh, so close. 
He shook his head wearily and closed his eyes for a moment. Focus on the music, you dork!

He didn't know how long he'd slept, but it was a small nudge from Brett that woke him up with a start. Fuck, he'd fallen asleep, and they were playing the last movement! 
Brett grinned at him. 
Brett hadn't moved his arm back onto his leg. 
Suddenly he didn't feel sleepy anymore. No, he wasn't sleepy at all. And he knew he shouldn't do what he was about to do. Oh, he knew that so well. But he just couldn't stop himself and he casually let his own hand slip beside his leg. 
Now they looked completely normal, two boys, sitting and listening to a classical concert, but the backs of their hands were touching.
It was like electricity ran throughout his body, starting from that little point of contact, spreading everywhere, making him warm, making him comfortable. He could have cried happy tears, it was so lovely. He wanted the music to go on forever. 
He didn't look at Brett. He wanted to, but he knew it wasn't a good idea. It was enough, plenty in fact, to sit here and enjoy this small touch. Even if he'd have to pay for it later. 
He looked at the stage and he knew they were nearing the end. He'd have to lift his hand and applaud, whether he wanted to or not.

It was with reluctance that he did just that, a couple of minutes later, putting his hands together with the rest of the enthusiastic audience as their teachers stood up and took their bows. He finally looked left now and Brett's cheeks were flushed, his eyes more intense than he'd ever seen them. Then Brett looked back and smiled shyly. 
¨That was awesome.¨ he said at a normal volume, clearly realising that anyone who would hear would assume he was talking about the concert. Eddy figured he wasn't though, really. 
¨It was!¨ he agreed, wholeheartedly, returning Brett's smile. 

Whoa. That had been something else. Smart? Probably not. But he wouldn't take it back. Not for anything.